


Those old country lanes

by GaneWhoo



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Action, Angst, Cowgirl AU, Cowgirl Kara, F/F, Happy Ending, Riding horses, Romance, Teenager Carter, Wild wild West
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-02-01 09:04:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 50,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12701700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaneWhoo/pseuds/GaneWhoo
Summary: “Remind me again why we are going to spend the entire summer in nowhere-town, in the middle of the buffalo state?” Carter asked from the passenger seat, barely glancing up as they sped past a road sign informing them they had just entered Wyoming.“I need to lay low from work, Carter, I told you that three times already,” Cat replied from behind the wheel of her brand new Maserati.---Cat Grant went too far in her search of a scoop and she has to lay low for a while, which is why she finds herself in the middle of nowhere, staying away in a ranch that belongs to the Lane sisters. What promises to be a boring summer suddenly takes an unexpected turn when both Grants meet with Kara Danvers, the cowgirl in charge of the Ranch in the owner's absence ...





	1. PROLOGUE

**Author's Note:**

>  
> 
> _Hi guys,_  
> 
> 
> New fic here, it's been on the work for a while and I figured now was a good time as any to put it out there. I have no schedule whatsoever for it and I'm going through a rough patch, writing wise so I have no idea how this will go along. Fair warning for up coming angst, sexy times, broken hearts but don't worry, this will have a happy ending.
> 
> Also, be aware that all the characters may seems different in this fic, especially Carter and Kara. I decided to change the way I usually write them, so don't be too surprised. Feedbacks are welcome, as always.
> 
> Enjoy the ride, pun intended ;)

“Remind me again why we are going to spend the entire summer in nowhere-town, in the middle of the buffalo state?” Carter asked from the passenger seat, barely glancing up as they sped past a road sign informing them they had just entered Wyoming.

“I need to lay low from work, Carter, I told you that three times already,” Cat replied from behind the wheel of her brand new Maserati.

“I get that part, mom. The part I still don’t understand is the choice of location. You could have decided to go lay low in, I don’t know, Bora-Bora, Paris, Moscow, Shanghai even, for all I know. So why, why on Earth are we going to a goddamn ranch in the middle of the least populated state in the country? Besides, it’s a republican state and you hate them,” Carter insisted, his teenager side showing in the clear annoyance lining his tone and the honest-to-god pout etched all over his face.

“Language, Carter.” Cat scowled before overtaking a tractor without even slowing down. Carter sighed and looked in the rearview mirror to see the man driving the tractor brandish his fist at them.

“He’s wearing a cowboy hat. Oh my gosh,” he grumbled, before focusing back on the road ahead of them.

The landscape was beautiful, to say the very least, the mountains drawing closer with every mile swallowed by the expensive car, with fields of dry grass and cow paddocks on every side of the desolated, damaged road. He had been expecting corn fields or any kind of cereal but he had since learned that Wyoming was a very arid and hostile land for those kinds of crops.

After having sped past another few tractors, Cat finally answered her son. “Lucy offered us the opportunity to stay at her family ranch, a place no one knows of and it’s exactly what I need right now. I would have been traced easily in any of the cities you suggested while no one will ever think of looking for me in the middle of …”

“... Fucking nowhere,” Carter finished with a sigh.

“Carter! Language!” Cat scowled again but he only shrugged and focused back on his smartphone.

Cat didn’t try to engage him in conversation again, knowing her son was resenting her for taking him away from his friends for two whole months. She wasn’t exactly thrilled with the situation either but it was for their own good.  
At least, that’s what she was trying to convince herself of as she pushed her car another twenty miles per hour way above the speed limit.

\---

She gently woke him up as she slowed down near a huge ranch gateway, made of stones, wood and rusted metal. The words ‘The Midvale Ranch’ were carved, in that typical cowboy font the people here were so fond of, directly into the massive wooden beam above the road and Carter snorted but stayed silent as they drove through.

The road progressively became a dusty path and Cat had to considerably slow down to avoid breaking the suspension of her supercar. Cows were everywhere on each side of the worn-out dirt road, peacefully grazing behind a white wooden fence that could use a few repairs and another layer of paint here and there.

“Oh joy, cows everywhere. What a surprise,” Carter muttered under his breath and Cat chose to ignore the snarky comment, not wanting to get into yet another argument with her sixteen year old son.

As they drove further away, they entered a pine forest that had been nicely groomed to fit around the fences, the paddocks and the road, thick but not enough to be dark.

“Is that … snow? It’s not even July, why is there snow here?” Carter protested at the sight of a few white patches at the bottom of some pine trees and around the feet of the fence.

“Because we are practically at the bottom of the Rocky Mountains, Carter. The ranch is nested in the middle of a forest that climbs all the way up across the flank of a mountain,” Cat absentmindedly replied before using the brake to smoothly pass a big hole in the road.

“Great. That’s just, great,” Carter grumbled before turning his smartphone on. “Oh, that’s even better, no reception at all. Well, I hope they have a TV at least because this is already turning into the worst summer of my life …”

Cat took a deep breath and gritted her teeth, mentally counting to ten to avoid losing her temper. She knew this was hard on her son but his attitude was truly getting on her nerves as well.

Swerving between the trees and some massive rocks that seemed to come out of the ground itself, the road started to climb up and snow became more visible, atop some of the branches in the pine trees and bordering the dirty path.After one last curve, the ranch finally appeared.

“Oh,” Carter whispered, sounding impressed, and Cat couldn’t agree more, her eyes widening slightly at the sight unfolding before their eyes.

The ranch was a beautiful two-floors edifice, made of dark wooden planks and beams with a black roof, showing underneath some patches of pure white snow here and there. It was located in the back of what looked like a clearing, covered in dust and snow, surrounded by the forest and the falling sunlight was bathing the whole ranch in golden and orange natural nuances, despite the already growing shadows of the pine tree.

The main building was built on a wooden deck supported by stone foundations that allowed the house to be a few feet above the ground and a few steps were leading to the entrance, in several spots around the porch. It looked both rustic and fancy, with beautiful and old pine trees overlooking parts of the edifice and Cat even saw a rather big swing chair hanging from one of the branches of the tree, close to the main entrance, under the porch’s roof.

On the left side of the main building, totally independant from it, another long edifice was made of a lighter wood, with a red corrugated iron roof and judging by the three horses attached to a wooden beam at the front, it was the stables. It was different from the ranch itself and Cat assumed it was either brand new or had been renovated recently.

She slowly drove across the place to park right in front of the main few steps leading to the front door and as she turned the engine off, she saw Lucy come their way from the stables with a big smile on her face.

Cat wondered again if this whole summer evasion was truly a good idea but it was too late to go back now, so she got out of the car and shuddered under the biting cold air, already regretting the actual summer weather of National City.

“Hiiii, you’re here! How was the journey? I hope you didn’t struggle too much to find the place, it’s kind of isolated I know …” Lucy said as she greeted her with a hug and another huge smile, sounding as excited as she looked.

“No kidding,” Carter chimed in, looking around with a bored expression and Cat sighed. Lucy only arched a surprised brow but made no comment as she walked around the car to hug Carter.

“It doesn’t look like it but it’s actually an amazing place, Carter. Give it a chance, it might surprise you. And before you ask, there is a TV yes. It doesn’t work all the time but it’s decent enough.” Lucy winked at him and for the first time since they got into the car a few days ago, Carter smiled.

“Thanks Luce!” he said before returning her hug. “Tell me though, are the temperature going to stay that low for the whole summer?”

“Eh, kiddo, this is as hot as it’s gonna get yes.” Lucy smirked and Carter let out an annoyed groan. He then sighed and moved to retrieve his bag in the booth of the expensive car. The Maserati was totally out of place in this rustic, country setting and he glanced to the sturdy but dusty and worn-out pick-ups parked at the other end of the clearing.

“I’m pretty sure the car won’t survive the summer either,” he muttered before coming back to stand next to Lucy, who rolled her eyes but stayed silent. Carter’s attitude wasn’t affecting her good mood and Cat was secretly grateful for her friend’s indestructible optimism.

“Come on guys, I’m going to show you your rooms. Also, Lois won’t be here before another three weeks so you’re clear, Cat.” Lucy smirked again and Cat let out a relieved sigh, one that made her son chuckle.

“Oh well, that’s gonna be a welcome distraction at least,” he snorted before following Lucy. Cat mumbled something under her breath and went to retrieve her bags as well before joining her son and her friend on the porch.

\---

Her bedroom was spacious and cozy, four white walls and a clear wooden floor and furnished with a huge bed and some handmade pine furniture, a dresser, two nightstands and a beautiful desk facing a big window that overlooked the forest at the back of the ranch, with a partial view of the mountains.

She had her own bathroom and by the look of the rather spacious Italian shower and the elegant bathtub, it had been renovated pretty recently to fit the expectations of modern comfort. Again, a pinewood piece of furniture was supporting the two sinks, encased in a white marble table and the frame around the huge mirror was made of the same material.

Carter was two rooms away, in a room that looked a lot like hers but with two windows and a few bookshelves full of novels, comics and reading material pushed against the wall facing his bed.

“He’s going to come around, don’t worry,” Lucy gently said as she entered the room with a few towels and a fuzzy blanket.

“I don’t know,” Cat sighed. “He’s been pretty insufferable on the way here and I understand why, I really do, but I thought he would make peace with the situation, eventually.”

“He will but you have to allow more time, Cat. He’s a teenager and you’re taking him away from a summer city, where it’s hot and sunny, where his friends and habits are … Did you tell him the real reason you’re here?” Lucy inquired, putting the blanket on the bed before going into the bathroom to place the towels in between the sinks.

“No, he thinks I need to lay low from work. Which is the truth, or part of it. He doesn’t know about the death threats,” Cat whispered with a sigh and Lucy only nodded.

“You’re welcome here Cat, for as long as you need. Lois understands and she’s glad you agreed to come here instead of going in some of your usual hotels around the world,” Lucy explained and Cat smiled, a little bitterly.

“Yes well, that’s easy for her to say, she was the one who gave me the story in the first place,” she muttered with a slight frown.

“I know. She feels terrible about it, even if hell would freeze over before she would admit it out loud to you,” Lucy chuckled and made her way towards the exit. “Dinner will be ready in about two hours, you should relax, take a bath or something.”

Cat nodded and thanked her friend before sitting on the bed, a loud sigh escaping her lips.

“Here’s to my summer in the middle of the fucking buffalo state,” she swore under her breath before letting herself fall backward onto the mattress.


	2. CHAPTER 1

When she wandered downstairs an hour and a half later, she found Lucy in the kitchen, preparing dinner to the sound of some old rock hits.

Cat took a few minutes to look around as she crossed the room to join her friend.

The main floor was a huge open space with a kitchen on the far left, a living room area in the middle and a TV corner on the far right. The space was arranged for the first floor to overlook a part of the main one, with a wooden railing coursing through the whole length of the house to reach the staircase, pushed against the wall near the TV corner. Visible beams were following the shape of the sloping roof and a few skylight windows allowed the natural light into the house.

“This is a nice place, I have to say. How comes you’re living in National City when you have this kind of a space here?” Cat asked, making her way towards the massive counter island that separated the kitchen from the rest of the open floor. She sat atop one of the stools and gave Lucy a grateful smile when her friend handed her a glass of wine.

“Well, I don’t know if you noticed but I’m pretty much a city girl. Don’t get me wrong, I love this place but … Like a lot of people who grew up in Wyoming, I wanted to leave it as soon as possible. It’s only later, that I learned the true value of the ranch,” Lucy explained with a smile while stirring something in a pot.

“Lois always says she hates this place,” Cat said, closely studying her friend’s features.

“She lies. She loves it here but like everything with her, if there’s a chance it could be turned into a weakness, she’ll hide it. It’s a wonder she even ended up dating that man from Kansas in the first place. What’s his name again?” Lucy frowned and turned around to face Cat, her wooden spoon hovering above the pot.

“Clark. Clark Kent,” Cat supplied with a smirk. She never cared much for the man Lois was parading around the Daily Planet as her boyfriend but even she had to admit he was kind of handsome, in that plain and ordinary way farmer boys were.

“Right, him,” Lucy nodded and plunged the spoon back into the pot, using her free hand to grab her phone and turn down the volume of the music.

“Your sister has her career in Metropolis but you went straight to National City, after graduating from one of the top law school in the country. Why is that, Luce? I mean, don’t get me wrong I’m glad you came to work for me but your sister and I, we share a heavy history … What made you think of me, before you came to ask for a job at CatCo News?” Cat asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Are you seriously asking me this, five years after I started working for you?” Lucy laughed and took care of the dish she was cooking before coming to lean against the counter island, facing Cat.

She poured herself a glass of wine and then played with it a little, making the liquid swirl gently.

“To be honest, I didn’t think much back then. I knew I wanted to work for the journalistic field, because I had seen so many newspapers and journalists get attacked and sued without any kind of valid ground and reasons, I was angry. I wanted to defend the people who were bringing the truth to everyone else, like you did, like you still do,” Lucy started, still playing with her wine as she talked. “I specialized in that kind of practice, during my last few years in law school and then, I just, took the first plane to National City and the next day, I was in your office asking for the spot. I knew you, from when you used to date Lois of course but I had also followed your work from the very beginning and the evolution of CatCo News was … inspiring.”

Cat nodded in agreement, not letting the praise get to her head but appreciating the honesty and the simplicity with which Lucy was telling the story.

“I wasn’t expecting anything, really, I actually thought you would just laugh and send me away but you said yes, without any question. I didn’t even get an actual interview, if you remember. You just gave me the job and that was it,” Lucy laughed and finally tasted her wine, humming appreciatively at the taste of it.

Cat smirked and nodded again. “One of my finest moments, yes. I didn’t know it was on impulse though, I was certain you had a whole argumenta planned. Turns out you hadn’t.”

Lucy smirked but she stayed silent and the two women simply enjoyed the wine for a while.

\---

Dinner was a nice affair, despite Carter barely participating in any way whatsoever.

Lucy had cooked a beef stew and the teenager made a snarky comment about not being ready to become a buffalo just yet but Lucy retorted that even the animal was more well-behaved than he was and it reduced Carter to silence. Cat stayed out of the banter but she discreetly smiled at Lucy to let her know it was okay to be blunt with her son, that she was even grateful for the little help in trying to get him not to act like a total jerk.

After having helped clean up and bid his goodbye, Carter went back into his room and Cat sighed in relief. She felt guilty the moment she noticed her gesture but Lucy smiled.

“Don’t worry Cat. He’ll come around, I promise,” Lucy said and she offered a cup of tea to her friend. They went outside on the porch to have their drink on the swing chair, buried under a few blankets to keep the cold away.

“I hope so, I really do. I don’t think I can take that attitude for two months straight,” Cat grumbled, softly blowing on her tea to cool it down a little. “His father refused to take him for the summer, he told me he had a lot of work but I’m pretty sure his job doesn’t involve going to Ibiza with his company’s yacht, which is what he’s doing right now.”

“It’s actually impressive to see how some people never change,” Lucy muttered and it made Cat smile. Lucy never like Jason and his attitude with both Cat and their son didn’t arrange his case.

“Indeed,” Cat agreed softly, her voice barely a whisper in the cold, biting air of the Wyoming night.

Lucy’s phone chimed with a soft ping and she unlocked her screen, instantly smiling.

“Perfect,” she said as she quickly typed a response and Cat arched a surprised brow, waiting for her friend to explain what it was about.

“I’ve been taking care of the ranch for a week because Kara, who usually runs this place all year round, was visiting some family in Europe and she’s just texted me to let me know she’ll be here by tomorrow morning. That means I can go back to work sooner than expected and since you left me in charge of CatCo News …” Lucy didn’t finish but Cat understood anyway. She was used to the burden of responsibilities but Lucy would have to dive into it and learn while taking over the CEO position for a while.

“Don’t worry about the whole debacle, Luce. Just, keep CatCo News afloat, deal with it one day at a time and call me if you need any help. I assume there’s a landline, in this house?” Cat asked with a slight frown and Lucy chuckled.

“Yes Cat, we’re in the middle of nowhere so we still need some kind of communication device with the outside world, you know,” she smirked and Cat only groaned in response.

“Does Kara cook as well as you do? I feel like I’ve already gained weight with dinner, I can’t have that every day …” Cat asked, changing subject, and Lucy openly laughed this time.

“Do not allow Kara anywhere inside the kitchen, Cat. I’m serious, she’s dangerous. I trust her with my life for everything else but whenever there’s food involved, she’s unreliable,” Lucy warned between two fits of laughter and Cat arched a brow.

“Well, how does she eat then, if she can’t cook?” she asked, curiously echoing in her tone.

“Her sister owns a bar slash diner in town, she’s the one doing all the cooking before freezing it for Kara to have something healthy and safe to eat everyday. It’s almost an hour away but the food truly is excellent. Alex usually comes over every Wednesday, she stays the day and she helps around …” Lucy explained with a smile and Cat smirked, recognizing the fondness in her friend’s sparkling green eyes.

“Alex, huh,” she casually said and Lucy blushed a little before mumbling something under her breath.

“What was that?” Cat insisted, smirking and sipping at her tea without taking her eyes off her friend.

“We’re … kind of in an open relationship, actually. I mean, nothing really serious, she’s here and I’m in National City but … whenever I’m around, you know,” Lucy sighed and Cat’s smirk dropped instantly. Lucy sounded nostalgic, a little sad even.

“Oh so you do like her, more than you’re willing to admit,” Cat deduced and Lucy didn’t even try to deny it. “Does she know?”

“No, she doesn’t and even if I tell her, it wouldn’t lead anywhere. She’s never going to leave this place.” Lucy sipped at her tea and exhaled a cloud of mist in front of her mouth before continuing. “I mean, she arrived about four years ago, after a few years in law enforcement and she never talks about her past so I’m guessing she saw some pretty awful things and she moved in here to escape it,” Lucy explained and Cat nodded to let her know she was listening.

“She’s … something, you know. I once saw her handle a group of seven drunken rednecks by herself and I think one of the guys is still paying for the hospital bill … You’re certainly going to meet her, over the summer. Feel free to invite them over for dinner or lunch, by the way. I try to do that every time I’m around to thank them for their work,” Lucy said and Cat nodded.

“Besides, who knows, maybe Kara will change Carter’s mind about this place. It’s very hard to resist her, you’ll see,” Lucy finished before drinking her tea, letting the silence settle in between them.

It was comfortable and Cat didn’t break it, content to just relax next to Lucy in the cold night of this lost place, in the middle of nowhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should probably warn you here that I broke my chapters quite randomly, to explain why this one is so short. It should get better from now on but you never know ... Also, friendly reminder that I don't have any shred of schedule for this fic, the updates are going to be as random as it can be. Bear with me guys ;)
> 
>  
> 
> _Reviews are always nice !_  
> 


	3. CHAPTER 2

The loud barking of a dog abruptly pulled her out of the not-so-peaceful slumber she had fallen into around 3am. Disoriented and clearly annoyed, she reached out a hand to try to find her alarm clock but when she found nothing on the nightstand, she sat on her bed and quickly studied her surroundings.

It took her a few minutes to remember she wasn’t in National City anymore but in some lost ranch in the middle of the state of Wyoming. Moving a hand across her face to chase the sleep away, she got up and moved towards the window to try to see what had caused such a brutal start to her day.

The mountain tops in the distance were glowing under the sunlight, the sparkling snow catching the first few sunbeams while the rest of the world was barely waking up, still caught in the mists of a cold and crisp morning dew. The view was breath-taking and she admired it for a few minutes before feeling the bite of the chilly air against her skin.

She then remembered the window was overlooking the back of the ranch and not the front the moment she heard another loud bark. Grumbling under her breath, she put on a pair of jeans and a warm, elegant sweater before pulling on two pairs of socks and grabbing her boots.  
They weren’t exactly made for the setting but they would have to do for the time being, Cat thought as she opened her bedroom door.

A few minutes later, she exited the house and made her way across the porch, towards the steps that led down to the clearing.

Instantly, another loud bark echoed on her left and she spun around to be faced with the source of all that noise. It was a dog, a beautiful one she recognized as some kind of Australian Shepherd, with tri-coloured fur. The animal had bright azure eyes, lost in a mixture of brown, white and black hair that formed a strange pattern on his face and made the beast look almost human, especially with the head tilted to the left and one ear flopped backward.

“Rao, quiet!” a voice shouted and the dog immediately stopped barking.

It was definitely too early for that kind of agitation, Cat thought while trying to stifle a yawn. She had driven for almost a week straight and as a result, she hadn’t enough sleep in her system to deal with whatever was causing the dog to bark.

“I’m so sorry Ma’am, he’s usually quiet but he doesn’t do well around strangers. I’m truly sorry if he woke you up.” The unfamiliar voice spoke again and Cat stopped staring at the dog to see who was calling her Ma’am like in some kind of wild west western movie. Which, she realized as she took in the girl standing in front of her, might actually be true.

Kara, since she assumed it was the girl Lucy had told her about the previous evening, looked like someone who had fallen straight out of some kind of modern romantic country movie, with her brown leather boots, her worn-out and faded blue jeans held in place by a belt matching the shoes, her thick blue, grey and black flannel plaid shirt showing underneath her open black winter vest and of course, a brown honest-to-god cowboy hat to top the whole outfit off.

“My name is Kara Danvers and it’s a pleasure to meet you, Ma’am,” the girl said with a smile and Cat forgot her own name for a few seconds.

That girl had the sun in her smile and galaxies of burning stars in her ocean blue eyes, the whole universe framed by the golden strands of loose, sun kissed hair that was falling around her soft features like a divine halo.

Oh. Cat’s mind echoed with that simple sound as she found herself unable to speak.

“Ma’am? Are you alright?” Kara asked, concern suddenly flooding her eyes as she hesitantly reached a hand to curl her fingers around Cat’s shoulder.

The radiating warmth of the innocent human touch broke through the layers of clothes Cat was wearing and she felt her skin come to life underneath her sweater. She had only known Kara for a few minutes but already, she was craving her touch. When the thought finally reached her mind, she shook her head and moved away, as if she had indeed been burned by that foreign hand.

“Hm. Cat Grant, Lucy’s friend and the occupant of the ranch for the next two months. Please, I know we’re in some kind of cliché state where you ride horses and dress like a cowgirl but don’t call me Ma’am. Cat is perfectly fine.”

As far as introduction worked, this one was breaking all her previous records, she realized as she saw the upsetting sparkle of humiliation shine into the impossibly blue eyes of her interlocutor.

“Duly noted … Miss Grant,” Kara replied, avoiding the first name entirely before raising two hands to touch the front of her hat. She gave Cat a curt nod and then walked away, whistling her dog on her way towards the stables.

“Damn,” Cat muttered under her breath, a little unsteady after the unexpected encounter. Lucy did warn her Kara would be here by the morning, but what Lucy didn’t tell her was that the girl was incredibly attractive.

Cat shook her head again and decided she needed coffee. Desperately so.

\---

“Luce, there is a dog in front of the house,” Carter announced as he crossed the main floor to reach the kitchen. He was fully dressed in a pair of denim blue jeans, sneakers and a large National City grey hoodie, his dark blond curls a mess atop his head and pillow crinkles marring his left cheek.

“Yeah I know, it’s Rao, Kara’s dog,” Lucy replied before putting a plate of warm pancakes in front of the teenager, with a glass of orange juice. “Eat up Champ, I told Kara you’ll be helping her with the fence repairs.”

Carter almost choked on his juice and coughed for a whole minute before letting out a strangled “what?” that made Lucy laugh.

“You heard me,” she simply confirmed while Cat was trying her best not to laugh, silently sipping at her third cup of coffee at the other end of the counter island.

“Uh, I don’t think so? Besides, who’s Kara?” Carter protested, still coughing a little from his accident with the orange juice but already frowning, his eyes darkening with each passing second.

“That would be me,” a voice chimed in from the entrance door and everyone looked in that direction.

Kara was holding her hat in her left hand and what looked like a donut box in the other one, her dog sat down at her feet with his head tilted to the left. She waited for Lucy to invite her in before walking to Carter and dropping the box in front of him.

“You must be Carter, Lucy told me a lot about you. Here, have some donuts, I went to pick them up at my sister’s place they are fresh from this very morning!” Kara cheerfully said as she opened the box and revealed a dozen of baked goods.

“I could use a hand for the repairs but if you’re not up for it, that’s fine too,” Kara smiled, and Cat saw her son blink a few times.

He opened his mouth and she was almost certain he was going to bite Kara’s head off like the sixteen-year-old-teenager he was but instead, she heard him say, “Hm, sure, no I can totally help around, no problem. Nice to meet you, uh, miss.”

Cat almost gaped but Lucy winked at her and she focused back on the exchange between her son and the cowgirl.

“Oh, that’s so very sweet of you, thank you! Do you know how to ride a horse, by the way? We’re going to take the pick up today but I might need some help with the cows and I was wondering if you’d be interested? I can teach you, if you don’t,” Kara explained, taking a seat next to Carter and the teenager only nodded, drinking her every word with a rare attention.

“I mean, if your mother agrees to it of course!” Kara looked up to meet her eyes and again, Cat forgot who she was. There was just something about that girl that rendered her speechless, it was absolutely infuriating.

“Mom, please say yes? It’s the only thing that sounds remotely interesting around here, please say yes!” Carter begged and Cat focused back on him, finally tearing her eyes away from Kara’s face.

“Sure, as long as it’s safe,” Cat relented, not entirely comfortable with the suggestion but recognizing it was better to say yes than to force her son to spend a boring summer in the middle of Wyoming.

“Don’t worry Miss Grant, I have the perfect horse for your son,” Kara reassured with a smile and both Grant forgot about the god-forsaken buffalo state and the cowboy hats and the absence of any wi-fi and cellular reception.

“Alright then. Kara, I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning, around 6am. Cat and Carter are going to stay for the whole summer, as I already told you but Lois should be here in three weeks, she’s going to stay for a while. Is Alex in the diner today?” Lucy asked before putting a cup of coffee in front of her friend.

“Oh thanks Luce,” Kara said, accepting the coffee with a very grateful smile. “Yeah, Alex’s in today but if I were you, I’d wait until tonight to go. Maggie showed up again yesterday and Alex is in that mood again …”

Cat arched a surprised brow but said nothing as she watched a shadow pass through her friend’s sparkling green eyes. She assumed Maggie was some kind of rival, jealous ex or anything along those sentimental lines, from Lucy’s attitude and Kara’s guarded tone.

“Thanks for letting me know. I thought Maggie had gone back to National City though ...” Lucy was obviously annoyed, but she was trying to hide it. Kara shrugged and didn’t answer.

After a few minutes, she finished her coffee and got back up. “You need to drop the sneakers. We’ll get you a fine pair of boots because you’re going to freeze if you stay in those.” She gestured at Carter’s shoes and waved Lucy goodbye before making her way towards the exit, her dog on her heels.

“Do I need to change before we go?” Carter asked, already following Kara and leaving half a donut on his plate of unfinished pancakes.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll give you a vest and a pair of gloves and you’ll be alright, kid. Let’s go. Oh, by the way, this is Rao, he’s usually not comfortable around strangers so don’t take it personally if he doesn’t come to you for a few days, it takes time,” Kara explained as she opened the door for the dog to go outside. “Bye Luce, have a nice morning. Miss Grant, I’ll return your son in time for lunch.”

And with those last few words, she was gone, Carter closing the door behind them.

“What the hell just happened?” Cat turned to face Lucy with wide eyes, but her friend only laughed and sipped at her tea with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... and here comes Kara, Sunny Danvers at the Grant's service, as always.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this introduction, you guys! Keep in mind that everyone here is pretty different from the canon characters, I am taking some liberties. Sure, I'm keeping the essence (I couldn't change Cat even if I wanted to and WHO WOULD WANT TO) of them all but you'll see, it's gonna be a little surprising at first.
> 
> Just so you know, I have about 7 chapters of this fic for now, I'm working on a few fics and prompts at once so the updates are gonna be random, I feel like I should warn you beforehand. I mean I did but a reminder is always good too!
> 
> **Reviews are always nice!**


	4. CHAPTER 3

Lunch came around pretty quickly, and Cat helped Lucy with the meal while asking about the house, the groceries trip, how to handle the water, the electricity, everything in order to make the two next months go as smoothly as possible.

“Cat, stop worrying. Kara knows the place better than her own house and …”

“Where does she stay, by the way? I didn’t see her stuff anywhere in the house …” Cat cut her friend off, wondering out loud.

“There is a nice condo on the first floor of the stables, it was renovated a few years ago and we added the place for her. It’s a little small but she loves it there. We tried, Lois and I, to make her stay in the house but she refused, every single time. She doesn’t look like it but she’s a lone wolf.” Lucy smiled and Cat scoffed.

“That sounds highly improbable indeed. Have you seen that girl Luce? Every time she smiles, it’s like everything in the world suddenly makes sense and yes, yes, I do know how cliché that sounds, trust me.” Cat mumbled the last few words under the amused gaze of the younger Lane, who was smiling widely.

“Oh, trust me, I know. She barged in here about ten years ago, barely eighteen yet and my dad kind of laughed in her face when she said she was here for the job. I mean, he was getting old and he needed help around the ranch so he put an ad in a newspaper, not even the internet - can you believe it? Two weeks later, here she was. You should have seen the look on my dad’s face, when she first smiled. I think it’s a universal reaction, to be honest,” Lucy explained while pulling out the plates and cutlery from the cupboards to set the table. “She insisted for him to give her a chance and he said she had two days to prove she was good enough for the job. Ten years later, she’s still here.”

Cat didn’t ask about Lucy’s dad, who had passed a few years ago, because she knew it was still a very sensitive topic for both of the Lane sisters.

“She never wanted to go elsewhere? I mean, she’s young, she never wanted to get a degree or something? Work in a big city, have a career, a family, that kind of stupid plan we make when we’re still dreaming about a perfect life?” Cat knew she sounded a little bitter, but Lucy didn’t mention it.

“Not everyone is cut out to become a world-renowned journalist with a newspaper bearing their name, you know. She actually has a few diplomas, she studied by correspondence while taking care of the ranch. I think she’s still studying at the moment, you’ll have to ask her to be sure.” Lucy replied with a smirk and Cat stared in bewilderment.

She was about to insist when the door banged open and a very excited Carter walked in, chatting enthusiastically with an equally passionate Kara. The girl removed her hat the moment she stepped inside the house, but she never stopped talking with the young boy and Cat stared, dumbfounded, as the two of them removed their shoes.

Carter’s boots were black and looked like they had seen better days, the leather being almost all ripped away and torn up but they seemed to fit just right. He put them down next to the entrance and Kara did the same thing before finding her way around the kitchen island to wash her hands at the sink. Carter joined her, and they shared light banter about the towel but it ended the moment Lucy called them to bring the food to the table.

“I take it the fence is all fixed up?” Cat asked, sitting down next to Kara to face her son and Lucy on the other side of the table.

“Indeed, Miss Grant, your son is a hard worker,” Kara replied with a smile for Carter and the teenage boy all but beamed at the compliment. Cat noticed her son was smiling easily and actively participating to the conversation, which was a nice change from his moody attitude of the previous week.

“That’s the first time I ever hear someone say that about Carter,” Cat teased and her son poked his tongue at her. The gesture was so childish and yet so familiar to her, it made her laugh and the whole table joined in, including Carter himself.

Lunch was animated, with Carter being very excited at the thought of learning how to ride, Kara trying her best to describe how it felt to be alone in the wild with a horse, Lucy asking questions and Cat being just content to listen.

“You are more than welcome to come and watch, if that would make you feel better about Carter being on the back of a horse,” Kara gently said after desert, as she helped cleaning up the table.

Cat looked into the impossibly blue eyes of that girl who shouldn’t be so real, lost in the middle of nowhere, Wyoming, and she nodded. “I actually would like that, yes. Give me a few minutes, I need to change into something warmer.”

She quickly went upstairs in her bedroom to put on a few more layers of clothes before joining Kara, Lucy and her son near the door.

“I’ll come and watch too, I made coffee to keep us warm,” Lucy explained, gently shaking a thermos before putting on a coat.

Cat put on a coat as well and stepped out in the cold to follow her son, who was literally bouncing with impatience. She let him catch up with Kara, who had put her hat back on and was already making her way towards the stables with her dog on her heels and waited for Lucy.

“She’s good with him,” Lucy dropped as she carefully walked down the few steps leading onto the clearing. Cat glanced up at the duo ahead of us and nodded.

“Yes, I noticed … I think he has a crush on her, from the way he’s looking at her,” Cat explained and Lucy threw her a funny look. “What?” She asked, arching a brow at her friend’s glare.

“I don’t think he’s the only one, to be honest,” Lucy smirked and Cat frowned, slightly confused as to what it meant but then, when realization dawn upon her, she loudly protested “Don’t be silly, Luce, this is a ridiculous idea. She’s what, 25, 26? She’s practically just a kid.”

“Sure, whatever you say,” Lucy said, her sweet tone implying she didn’t believe Cat’s words for one second. Cat decided not to continue this pointless conversation and simply walked with her friend towards the stable.

They entered the building through a huge entrance door, slid open to reveal another similar door on the wall just across. The second wooden was only slightly ajar, enough to let one person walk through but it was enough to cause an air flow that considerably chilled down the inside of the stable.

Cat looked around and took in the ranks of stalls, on either side of the main alley at the center of the edifice. Most were empty, but she saw a few horses with their heads snuck above the half-doors that kept them inside their space. She noticed a semi first floor on the far right of the building and a wooden wall reaching the roof with a few windows. She guessed it was Kara’s apartment. On the other side of the stables, there was a mezzanine full of straw and hay, accessible through a wooden ladder. Under that stocking attic, an open space was showing various pieces of equipment, a few warm horse rugs, saddles of different shapes and colors, a whole rank of bridles, boxes full of brushes and combs, tubes and spray. There was a huge sink pushed against one of the walls, near what looked like a small room and the absence of door revealed it was full of bags of grains and horse food, as well as some tools like forks, shovels and three wheelbarrows.

The main alley, starting in the middle of the stable boxes and going from the saddlery to the wooden stairs leading to what she assumed was Kara’s space, was large enough to let two horses walk side by side and very clean. Surprised by how well-lit/bright? the stable was, Cat looked up and noticed the long and rectangular windows forming an almost uninterrupted line on either side of the building, right under the end of roof’s slope.

“Whoaaaa,” Carter said as he stopped to admire the whole building as well, already focusing on the few visible horses.

“Sounds about right.” Kara smugly smiled at how impressed he sounded and Lucy bit down her bottom lip to hold back a laugh. “I practically designed the whole building myself, after the old one got destroyed in a fire. It’s pretty cool, isn’t it?”

Cat shot a surprised look to her friend at the mention of a fire, but the younger Lane only shrugged.

“Which one am I going to ride, for the lessons?” Carter asked, considering the horses with a worried look in his baby blue eyes. He was very much a city boy and even though he looked really impatient and excited, a shadow of anxiety darkened his usually bright look.

“One I used to ride for years, an old veteran of the west. His name is Comet and he used to be a pain in my ass.” Kara laughed before realizing what had just occurred. Furiously blushing, she apologized right away. ”Oh, I am so sorry, please forgive my language, I sometimes forget myself!”

Lucy was smirking, clearly amused, and Carter was already trying to figure out which one of the steeds was Comet, so Cat decided to pull Kara out of her misery.

“Relax, Kara. He’s a sixteen-year-old boy and already using much more colorful language than you are, this is perfectly fine.” she said, sounding a little more blunt than she had intended to. She saw the girl clench her jaw a little but then, that blinding smile was back and Cat found herself staring.

“Ahem,” Carter chimed in and Cat blinked a few times before glancing at him. He was smirking and the mischievous gleam in his eyes told his mother he was already seeing things, like Lucy.

“Yes, Carter? Something on your mind, perhaps?” Cat dared him to speak but he only shrugged and turned to face Kara.

“So, Comet?” he said, hoping to bring her back to the matter at hand.

Kara swallowed, still a little flustered, and then she nodded before moving towards the saddlery, to their right. They all started to follow when Lucy’s phone suddenly rang across the place, loudly. She groaned before excusing herself to go take the call outside, not wanting to scare off the horses.

Cat sighed and then followed her son and the girl with the cowboy hat to a stall at the far end of the alley, almost next to the saddlery itself.

The horse in the stall was peacefully drinking in a corner when Kara gently whistled to get its attention. When the animal looked up and twisted his neck to watch them, she was struck by how human his eyes looked, deep brown and almost sparkling with something that could only be described as intelligence.

It was a rather common horse, aside from the eyes, with a brown coat color everywhere save it for the white cannons and ankles of the front legs, above the hooves. A few patches of white and grey betrayed his age but he was still muscular and impressive from where she stood.

“Comet is almost fourteen years old and he is a sweetheart now. He used to be a true stallion, making it hard to do anything with him but with time and patience, he became one of the most reliable steeds I’ve ever had. I don’t ride him as often as I used to, since I need a faster horse with more stamina to deal with cows but he’s perfect for a debutant, such as you,” Kara explained before opening the half wooden door to step inside. She grabbed a halter and pulled it on around Comet’s head before beckoning Carter.

“Do I have to go in? Can’t I wait until you bring him out?” Carter asked, suddenly nervous about the whole affair.

Kara smiled softly and shook her head no. “You need to introduce yourself to your ride, young man. He needs to know your smell and to feel you, horses are very clever, and he can already sense you are nervous, look …” She pointed towards Comet’s ears, turned back atop of his head.

“Comet is very intuitive, he knows you are scared and he’s waiting to see if you are going to hurt him or if you are brave enough to go to him and try to be his friend. Come on, step inside and extend your palm to him,” Kara gently ordered, and Carter took a deep breath before doing as she said.

Cat stayed behind the now closed half-door to watch as her son came to stand next to Kara, who was holding the horse by his halter. Slowly, the teenage boy opened his hand and brought it up in front of Comet, who sniffled it and then licked it.

“Ewww,” Carter protested, making a disgusted face before wiping his palm on his jeans.

Kara laughed and the sound of it echoed through the whole stable. Cat couldn’t help herself but smile too, because not only was the situation truly funny, but Kara’s laugh was very contagious, echoing through the whole stable like a sweet melody.

“Well, that’s good. It means he likes you so now, you can lead him outside in the paddock we are going to use for your lessons. Stay with him for a few minutes, I’m going to get you a helmet and a pair of riding gloves because you’re going to freeze if you go out like this,” Kara explained before walking away. She opened the door and closed it behind her before heading towards the saddlery to pick the items.

Cat stayed near the stall, watching her son pet Comet’s head and talk to him in a soft voice. It was something to witness, the instant link between the young boy and the old horse, the easy smile on Carter’s lips, the gentleness in his tone and the sparkle of joy in his baby blue eyes.

“Here, I brought you this,” Kara softly said next to her and she almost started, having not heard the girl come back. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, but I noticed you don’t seem to have a pair of boots for the place so …”

Cat looked down to the shoes Kara was handing to her. They were a fine pair of leather black boots, simple yet elegant and they seemed to be brand new. They looked absolutely terrible to her, going too high on her calves and having no style whatsoever, but when she noticed the white fur doubling the inside, she took them with a grateful smile, knowing they were exactly what she needed to keep her feet warm.

“Thank you, Kara,” she said while tucking the shoes under her left arm.

“No problem, Miss Grant. It’s only for the time being, you can find a better pair at one of the shops in town,” Kara explained before opening the half-door wide open.

“Alright, Carter, take Comet by the reins, one hand holding him under his chin and the other holding the reins. He’s going to follow you easily but you need to learn the basics and this is how you hold a horse whenever you’re on foot, okay?” She nodded when he placed his hands like she said, encouraging him to move out of the stall.

Comet let himself be guided in the alley and Kara moved up front to go open the door leading to the back of the stable, letting it slide wide open.

Cat waited a little before following them, not entirely comfortable around horses either but trying not to show it. She stepped outside and groaned at the harsh cold suddenly biting her cheeks and nose, her hands as well. She put them in the pockets of her coats and studied her surroundings.

The stable backyard was implemented into the general clearing but here and there, outside of the few sand paddocks of different shapes and sizes, there were pine trees offering some shadow and at the very end of the riding complex, the forest was reclaiming the ground back.

Kara guided Comet and Carter towards a round paddock with a higher fence than the rest of the riding careers. She opened the door and let them in before closing behind her and Cat finally noticed the saddle, put atop a horsing rug, and the bridle thrown across it that were sitting on one of the fence’s beam near the entrance.

“What did I miss?” Lucy asked as she came to a stop next to Cat. She looked a little flustered, but her smile was very bright and soft.

“Oh, Alex called, didn’t she?” Cat teased with a smirk before reaching for the thermos, hoping some sips of hot coffee would warm her up a little.

“Yes. Yeah, she did. I’m going to have dinner with her tonight. So, how is Carter doing?” Lucy’s change of subject told Cat she didn’t want to talk about Alex anymore and she didn’t push.

“So far, so good. I think he’s a little nervous but Kara talked to him all along and now, everything seems to be going steamingly well,” Cat explained, gesturing towards her son who was listening to every words Kara was saying with rapt attention.

“She’s incredible with the horses, that much I knew, but I’ve never seen her with anyone around, aside from her sister and a few friends that sometimes stop by for a few days,” Lucy said with a smile as she watched Carter starting to walk in circle and calling the horse to further the link he had just made with Comet. “She’s very bright and you saw her smile, but she never talks about herself.”

Cat arched a surprised brow and then turned to face her friend. “She lives here, surely you already know a lot about her?”

Lucy shook her head and insisted “I actually don’t … Not from her, at least. It was Alex, who told me about Kara, how the Danvers family adopted her when she was ten years old after her parents died. She didn’t tell me more than this and I never pushed, I figured it wasn’t her story to tell… But Kara never said a word about it and I’ve known her for over ten years.”

Cat looked away from her friend to watch Kara, who was now explaining how to harness a horse to a very attentive Carter. Comet, next to them, was staying put while the girl fastened the girth straps under his belly and fixed the stirrups for them to be long enough for her. She told Carter how to measure the right length and asked him to try.

Cat wondered what had happened to that girl to push her to go work in a ranch in the middle of nowhere by the age of eighteen. Kara looked so at ease around Comet and Carter, explaining everything with patience, humor and kindness. She smiled the whole time, with that bright blinding smile that seemed like her signature move.

Cat slowly realized there was a tragedy tucked behind the impossibly sunny smile, hidden somewhere across the galaxies of burning stars in Kara’s blue eyes.

The lesson kept going and at some point, both Lucy and Cat cheered on Carter as he was now perched atop Comet, slowly walking around the paddock and listening to Kara’s instructions.

“That’s good, you’re a natural kiddo. Now, relax because I can see the tension in your shoulders and it’s holding you back. Relax, Comet is very nice and he trusts you. Keep your shoulders straight but don’t be tense. Find your center in the seat and let your legs hang. You need to fully sit down into the saddle,” Kara explained as she turned around to keep an eye on the teenager, helping him with her voice and with encouragements.

“Perfect! Look, do you see how he is already more alert, listening to your body language?” Kara asked, gently pointing towards Comet’s head, redressed a little higher than it was previously.

“I can feel it underneath me, yes, he’s moving differently!” Carter exclaimed, excited to find out he was actually good at riding a horse.

“Yes, that’s excellent! Okay, now I am going to teach you how to ride like a cowboy, kiddo. It’s a way to ride that is entirely different from all the other kinds that exists,” Kara started, her tone very serious and her hands moving to invite Carter to keep the horse moving. “I didn’t give you a full cowboy saddle because they are heavy and complex but you need to know that, cowboys are usually on a horse all day long so they need to be comfortable. It means not having the legs shortened like the English horsemen like to ride, it allows them to rise up on the saddle for differents gaits, like the gallop and the trot. Cowboys live on their horses so keep your legs hanging and with the stirrups just long enough to eventually support your weight if you need them. Mostly, though, cowboys use their equilibrium and their balance to stay seated, whatever the gait is.”

Cat was listening very closely as well, finding herself interested by the whole lesson. Lucy knew everything already but she was content to just watch and cheer on Carter from time to time, when she wasn’t talking with Cat.

“What do you mean, I have to stay in the saddle when the horse is galloping?” Carter asked, a little uncertain about the whole idea.

“Yes, indeed. It might seem a little scary at first but I promise you, it’s all about balance. The horse is going to gallop and you will sense the steps, one by one. You will sense the muscles work underneath you and you are instinctively going to move your pelvis to follow the movements, to match the gait,” Kara explained and she crossed the paddock to come near Comet, holding him by the bridle to keep him in place.

“Let me show you, you’ll understand better. Remember, when you get off your horse, you need to be gentle and slow enough to allow him to anticipate and understand that you are going to remove your weight from his back. Show me?” she reminded Carter and the teenager gently dismounted Comet, earning himself a bright smile from Kara.

She put her foot in the stirrup and hoisted herself atop the horse, before asking Carter to go stand in the middle of the paddock and to watch.

Cat leaned forward and put her elbows on the fence to support her silhouette, wanting to see Kara ride.

At first, the girl simply pushed Comet into a fast-paced walk rhythm but then, without any warning sign, they suddenly took off into a fast but regular gallop. Cat felt her mouth go a little dry at the sight of Kara moving her upper body in perfect sync with the long steps of the horse, keeping herself centered down in the saddle with little to no effort.

Carter literally gaped at the show, already asking question as to how she had so suddenly started a gallop without even moving her legs or any other apparent muscle, wanting to know how to find a rhythm with the horse’s pace and all kind of technical interrogation relevant to the lesson.

Cat, for her part, didn’t care much about the technicalities anymore, still engrossed in the show Kara was offering since she hadn’t slowed down yet.

“I knew you when you were more subtle, Cat.” Lucy’s voice brought her back to the present and she swallowed with difficulty before turning to face her friend, already met with a smug smirk and sparkling green eyes.

“Shut up Luce, anyone with eyes can see that it was hot,” Cat muttered through her gritted teeth, a little annoyed at how easy it was for Kara to throw her off her game.

“Oh yes, I know but since she is just a kid, you know …” Lucy dropped, casually serving Cat the words she had previously used to refer to Kara.

“Tsss. I need more coffee, I am freezing. I don’t think I can feel my feet anymore,” Cat grumbled as she reached a hand for the thermos, only to find it empty. She sighed and pondered if she should retreat to the relative safety of her bedroom until the lesson was over of if she should stay to show her son some support.

Without even knowing it, Lucy offered a solution to her silent dilemma with a simple, “I am too cold too, I’m going back inside. Join me?”

“Yes, I think it’s best,” Cat jumped on the opportunity before turning to face her son and the cowgirl in the paddock. “Carter, Honey, I’m freezing, I’m going back inside. I expect you to tell me everything I missed once the lesson is over, okay?”

“Sure mom, see ya!” Carter dismissively answered, too engrossed in whatever Kara was trying to explain to actually pay her attention.

She sighed and then made her way towards the ranch, already offering to make them some tea, to which Lucy happily said yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys !
> 
> This was a long chapter I know but it didn't feel right to split it so, I hope you enjoyed the (not so little) scene here ! Let me know what you think of this story, I don't have time to write much lately but Christmas is coming around and I should be able to catch a much needed break ;)
> 
> You can come and talk to me on tumblr, I'm **lost-your-memory**
> 
> Reviews are always nice


	5. CHAPTER 4

Carter fell asleep on the couch almost right after dinner, leaving it up to his mother and Kara to clean up the table.

Lucy had left to go to her date with Alex a few hours ago but Cat had insisted for Kara to stay for dinner and eventually, the cowgirl had agreed to it. Carter had been over excited during the whole meal, talking about the lesson, about the next one, about Comet and how he would love to take care of him every day but when the conversation shifted to how Kara had learned how to ride, the girl had looked uncomfortable and a little guarded.

It was Cat who had steered the conversation away from personal topics, inquiring about the next lesson as well and if Carter would go with Kara again the next day to help around the ranch.  
The grateful smile on Kara’s face had almost made Cat drop her fork but thankfully, she had managed to look unbothered.

“You wore him out, I am actually impressed. It’s usually hard to have him asleep before midnight, lately …” Cat said as she started on the dishes, Kara standing next to her to dry the plates like they had some kind of weird domestic routine.

“He’s such a cool kid, it was a pleasure to have him around, really,” Kara replied with a soft smile, glancing beneath her shoulder to see Carter, sprawled over a couch, sound asleep.

“He used to be such a sweetheart, growing up. I had no idea the teenage years would hit so hard,” Cat sighed and she handed Kara a glass for her to dry it.

“Always remember … Still waters run deep,” Kara whispered and with the way she was telling it, it sounded as if she was talking from experience. “Or maybe it is just that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree ...”

Cat gaped at the light tease and Kara chuckled.

“I’m sorry, I realize I might have overstepped a little,” she amended with a little sheepish smile that made Cat forget all about the tease and the whole conversation itself. She shook her head and tried to focus on the dish, mentally scolding herself for reacting like such a teenage girl with a big crush.

“You didn’t, it’s actually … very true, I suppose,” she reassured, thinking back on her own teenage years and how badly she needed to express herself, feeling bridled by her mother and suffocating in a life she knew wasn’t meant for her.

“Wild youth?” Kara teased again and Cat would have rebuffed under the personal question if it had be meant like one. The smile on the girl’s lips and the soft gleam in her eyes told Cat it was just a joke and she didn’t expect any kind of answer, which was refreshing. She was so used to be scrutinized and to have to carefully craft her answers, these days, it was nice to simply be.

“Can I offer you a cup of tea or a decaf?” Cat asked as she finished to hand over the last piece of faience to Kara.

The girl shook her head no and thanked Cat with a smile before moving towards the door, snapping her fingers as she passed past her dog to get his attention. Rao instantly got up and followed Kara.

“Thank you so much for dinner, I had a nice time. Good night, Miss Grant,” Kara said, careful to keep her voice low enough to not disturb Carter but Cat heard her anyway.

“It was nice indeed. Good night, Kara,” Cat replied with a smile and Kara tilted her head to acknowledge the goodbye before leaving with her dog, closing the door behind her.

Cat stayed in the middle of the living room area for a little longer before moving to go wake up her son, gently helping him out to his bedroom.

\---

She was up at dawn the very next morning and instead of staying in bed, she decided to go downstairs to make herself a cup of coffee.

Throwing on a large sweater over her pyjamas and another pair of socks over the one she wore to sleep, she opened her bedroom door and noticed there was already some light coming up from the kitchen corner. Leaning over the railing, she saw a woman she didn’t recognize move around the coffee maker, all dressed up in a pair of faded blue jeans and a huge red hoodie, her auburn hair cut in a bob that stopped right above her shoulders.

“You know, there are many reflective surfaces in this kitchen … I don’t bite, you can come downstairs. I made coffee, if you’re a coffee person,” the woman said without even looking up. Cat startled but then she noticed the toaster near the coffee machine, reflecting her blurred silhouette, and she smirked.

She made her way downstairs and crossed the house to come sit at the counter island, observing the woman with a curious expression.

“You must be Alex, Kara’s sister,” Cat started, not introducing herself but already assuming about the other woman’s identity.

The woman arched an amused brown as she put a cup of coffee in front of Cat and she then crossed her arms over her chest, a little defiantly. “She did tell me you are a journalist but aren’t journalists supposed to introduce themselves before starting to shout intrusive questions?”

Cat held back a smirk, secretly impressed by the woman’s aplomb and her quick wit.

“Yes well, sometimes the element of surprise plays in our favor and we use it. Cat Grant, journalist indeed. Nice to meet you,” she said as she reached a hand above her cup of coffee.

“Alex Danvers, Kara’s sister and owner of the diner and bar in the nearest town,” Alex replied while shaking Cat’s hand. She had a firm but honest handshake and Cat found herself liking Alex a little more with every passing minute.

“I assume the date went well yesterday, since you’re here at this unholy hour of the morning … though you’re dressed, are you sneaking out already?” Cat frowned, not wanting her friend to get hurt.

“Yes, because I would totally be here making coffee if I wanted to flee, am I right?” Alex snorted with a sarcastic smile, pouring herself a cup of the dark, thick and addictive beverage.

“You got a point,” Cat conceded.

“I’m taking her to the airport, that’s why I’m dressed. She’s taking a shower, she should be here soon,” Alex supplied and Cat nodded appreciatively.

She knew she had no right to interfere in her friend’s relationship but she cared about Lucy, a lot. She was a little concerned by how sad she had sounded when she explained her relationship with Alex and as a result, she couldn’t help but feel a little protective.

“That’s very nice of you,” Cat simply answered and Alex’s smirk only widened a little. The woman was not easy to shake off, that much was obvious.

“Oh, you’re up already! Did you sleep well?” Lucy asked as she exited her bedroom and waved Cat over the wooden railing. She was fully dressed in a professional attire and was holding a small suitcase in her hand, apparently ready to leave.

Cat looked up to follow Lucy’s moves across the house and she smiled when her friend finally came to a stop next to her.

“I don’t sleep very well anyway, but the room is very nice. Thank you Luce, for everything. Don’t forget, call me if you need any kind of help or if you need to talk about your day, alright?” Cat said with a smile. She trusted her friend to take care of CatCo news while she was forcibly taking some time away from the scandal she had unveiled with her last story.

“Don’t worry Cat, you taught me well,” Lucy replied and she reached a hand to curl her fingers around her friend’s shoulder, squeezing it gently in an affectionate gesture.

“Alright babe, if you’re ready … shall we?” Alex gently interrupted, handing a thermos of tea to Luce and taking the suitcase in one hand, already making her way towards the door. “It was nice to meet you, Miss Grant, I’ll be seeing you throughout the whole summer it seems. Have a nice day.”

Cat arched a brow and then turned to face Lucy, “Does every Danvers girl leave as soon as they finish their sentence? What about staying to hear an answer?”

Her grumble made Lucy laugh but then she shrugged as she answered “They’re a little bit … you know, raw. You have to remember, Cat, this is the middle of nowhere and around here, the people don’t talk as much as everyone do in National City. Kara is usually very quiet, Alex is better but it’s only because she owes a diner in a town where people stop by in passing.”

Cat stood up and walked Luce to the door, mumbling under her breath about the rednecks and the farmers, the cowboys and the cowgirls. The last word brought back a memory of Kara riding Comet and she shook her head to chase it away.

“Have a safe trip Luce, I’ll say bye to Carter for you,” Cat said with a smile and Lucy nodded before stepping outside, joining Alex in the very recent dark pickup truck parked next to the Maserati. It was still night outside but the light coming from the inside of the house allowed Cat to notice there was ice on the clearing path.

“I can’t believe it’s not even July,” she muttered, going back inside once the car had drove away to disappear in the forest.

\---

Kara came around 8am to pick up Carter, who was still very sleepy but ready to go.

Cat softly smiled at the light teasing in the girl’s tone when she noticed the many yawns Carter was trying to hide and she waved them goodbye when they left, finding herself completely alone for the first time in a long, long time.

\---

They came back for lunchtime and Cat had to admit it was nice to have some semblance of a family meal, around a proper table, with her son. Kara had a way with him; he was openly smiling and having fun, joking around and asking questions about this place, about the State and about the riding lessons.

Back in National City, Carter was in school all day and she only spent time with him during the weekends, when he wasn’t staying at a friend or at his father’s place and it was still strained by the routine of the week, the social obligations and the workload she carried around everywhere.

Here, lost in the middle of nowhere, there were no expectations and she was free to be herself.

“Earth to Miss Grant, are you still with us?” Kara’s voice broke through her reverie? and she smiled before shaking her head, focusing on the girl in front of her.

“Sorry, I was thinking of something to do this afternoon to keep myself busy. How far away is the next town, where your sister has a diner?” Cat asked, reaching for her glass and sipping at the water.

“About an hour away, maybe less with your car. You might want to get some groceries if you go there, because if you invite me over every day, I’m going to make a dent in your food stock!” Kara joked and Carter laughed, the sound echoing through the house and making Cat smile.

“Yes I noticed … Anything you want me to get?” Cat offered but Kara shook her head no and thanked Cat before saying Alex had dropped a few full bags of food in her apartment last night.

“So everyone saw Alex but me, right? What is she like? Does she look like you? Is she good on a horse?” Carter asked, firing the questions so quickly it almost gave Cat a headache.

“Easy tiger, one question at a time. Alex was here last night so she could take Lucy to the airport early this morning. She’s … She doesn’t look like me at all, no,” Kara explained and Cat wanted to intervene to tell Carter it wasn’t nice to ask such personal questions but Kara smiled and kept going. “She’s kind of tall I guess, but I’m still taller than her. She has brown hair, cut short above the shoulder, brown eyes and freckles over her nose and cheeks. She’s sassy, she’s badass and she’s very good on a horse yes, she sometimes helps me around with the cows.”

“When will I get to meet her?” Carter asked next and Kara smiled widely.

“Probably tomorrow, or the day after. She’s coming to help me plan the great hike,” Kara replied, smiling at the young boy while finishing off her plate.

Both Grant exchanged a confused look and Carter was the first to ask. “What great hike?”

Kara took the time to swallow her bite of meat and to drink a bit of water before answering the teenage boy.

“Every summer, I take the cows to a clearing high up in the mountains, the grass is better and abundant and it’s better for the animals. When the herd is big, the trip can last a whole month, sometimes even longer but we don’t have as many beasts here, so it only lasts around two weeks, depending on the weather. Alex loves it, she always comes with me,” Kara said, her bright blue eyes traveling from Carter’s face to Cat’s and she looked slightly confused. “Didn’t Lucy tell you about the trip? I do it every year, I thought you knew I wouldn’t be around for two weeks at the beginning of August …”

For a split second, Cat wondered why the idea of Kara not being at the ranch with them didn’t sit well with her, but then she simply shook her head and answered, “She must have forgotten to mention it, it’s quite alright.”

Carter looked a little dejected but he didn’t say anything and Cat was grateful for it. She knew he was already imagining his boredom for the few weeks Kara wouldn’t be around and a surge of guilt made her stomach churn unpleasantly.

She should have been more careful with her last story.

“Is everything alright, Miss Grant?” Kara asked, with a concerned frown, but Cat rolled her eyes and took her plate away towards the sink.

“You know I have a first name, right?” she said as she put the dish on the right side of the sink, coming back to retrieve the rest of the plates.

“Oh really? That’s brand-new information, please do tell! I had no idea, I mean it’s not like everyone else has one after all …” Kara retorted, a sarcastic smirk etched on her lips and Cat found it infuriatingly endearing, despite being on the receiving end.

“Smartass,” Cat grumbled and Carter chuckled before promptly bringing his own dish to the sink, under the meaningful glare of his mother.

“I don’t know about smart but I happen to think I have a great ass, yes. All that time spent on the back of a horse, you know …” The girl’s smirk became smug and it grew wider as Cat openly gaped at her, taken aback by the bold comment.

“Brazen … That’s a new color on you,” Cat finally managed to say, coming back to her senses as she desperately tried not to look at Kara’s bottom.

“Not that new, no. You just didn’t know I had it in me, if the dumbfounded look on your face is anything to go by …” Kara pushed and Cat felt so out of herself it made her feel a little uncomfortable.

Back in National City, she would have flirted her way up to the very end, to spend a few hours in the girl’s bed and enjoy the one night stand but here, in the middle of nowhere, faced with those bright blue eyes that sparkled brighter than the sea and met with a wit that could almost match hers, she felt thrown off and a little insecure.

Kara must have sensed it because she simply nodded and then took it upon herself to start on doing the dishes. Cat was about to protest but Carter took the spot next to Kara and grabbed a towel, drying the plates one by one as the girl passed them to him.  
She decided to let it go and simply offered everyone a cup of coffee, which Kara accepted with a smile and the teenager rejected with a grimace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> I've just finished a new chapter of this fic so I figured it was okay to publish one! I am having fun with this little AU here, I hope you like it as much as I do! You should go put some old Taylor Swift song on, or better yet some of Willie Nelson's old hits and then read it from the beginning ;)
> 
> I'm on tumblr at **lost-your-memory** if you want to stop by for a chat
> 
> _As always, reviews are nice_


	6. CHAPTER 5

“Everything hurts, mom,” Carter groaned as he tentatively walked down the stairs, one step at a time and with much grunting and groaning in between.

“Yes sweetheart, it’s called physical activity for a reason … When you’re not used to it, you get aches,” Cat replied without looking up from her laptop screen. She was comfortably cuddled in an angle of one of the few couches facing the TV and she was typing away at her MacBook’s keyboard, her working glasses perched at the very edge of her nose.

“I know, mom, I know. Stop pointing out the obvious,” Carter grumbled as he finally reached the main floor, a sigh of relief escaping his lips as he made his way towards the kitchen. Cat smirked and stopped writing to go join her son.

“Sit down honey, I’m going to make you breakfast. Do you want pancakes?” Cat gently pushed against her son’s shoulder to force him to take a stool at the counter and he smiled gratefully before nodding.

The sound of the door being pushed open made them look up and they both smiled widely at Kara as she entered the house, taking her hat down and sweeping her feet on the carpet. Rao mimicked her moves with his pawns and he then went to lay down on his own rug in the corner of the kitchen.

“Morning sunshines!” Kara greeted them brightly, a smile on her face as she came to sit next to Carter.

Carter waved her and grumbled something under his breath.

“Ah, I see you finally got aches! Good for you kiddo, it means you’re working hard and your body is developing some muscles. No riding lesson for you today though, it’s better if you rest, take a bath, relax. Beside, I’m going with Alex to check on the paths we’re going to use to lead the cows …” Kara explained with a smile, but when she saw the sad look on the teenager’s face, she shook her head.

“Oh no no no, don’t give me that sad puppy look kid, it won’t work. You seriously need to take care of your aches for today and enjoy it because tomorrow, I won’t leave you alone for one moment,” she firmly stated and Carter sighed as if it was the end of the world.

“So dramatic, you must have inherited that from your mother …” Kara smirked and Carter tried very hard not to snort, his eyes snapping up to find his mother’s.

Cat arched a brow and threw an unimpressed look at the young woman, who smiled sweetly in return.

“So, Carter isn’t allowed to sway you with a puppy look but you’re hoping this sweet and absolutely not innocent smile will work on me?” Cat deadpanned and Kara had the decency to look a little sheepish, despite the amused gleam in her eyes.

“Pretty much, yes. Did it work?” Kara replied and Cat simply stared at her.

“Uh, I see. Your mom isn’t easy to sway kiddo, you could have warned me!” Kara gently elbowed Carter in the ribs, making the boy laugh.

“Hey, I know it doesn’t look like it when you’re next to me but I’m the kid here, you deal with her on your own, I have to do that all year round,” Carter dropped and Kara gaped at him, feigning outrage at the innocent jab about her childish behavior.

“You guys are mean, this morning,” Kara muttered before throwing an amused wink at Cat.

Cat had to focus on the pancakes she was currently trying to make to avoid thinking about the warmth that had started to flow in her lower body right after Kara’s innocent gesture. It was truly getting old, that sickening weakness taking over her body whenever the girl with the blue eyes made any kind of remotely flirtatious move.

She dropped a pile of pancakes in front of her son and a few more in a plate she came to put in front of Kara.

“Oh, thanks but I already …” Kara trailed off when Cat pointedly stared at her again. She knew the girl didn’t eat much in the mornings, since she didn’t cook and she also knew Kara was trying to be polite, even though Cat had asked her to not feel obliged.

“Uh, sure, thank you, Miss Grant,” Kara backed off, already focusing on the pancakes and missing Cat’s impressive eyeroll.

“Will you join us for lunch today, Kara?” Carter asked, his mouth full of a half-chewed bite of pancake.

“Carter, don’t talk with your mouth full!” Cat reprimanded and he made a show of swallowing before turning to Kara again, awaiting her response.

“Hm, I’ll be with Alex and I don’t want to intrude, you know …” Kara sounded hesitant, her eyes slowly finding Cat’s to see what she should answer.

“It would be a pleasure to see your sister again, if you want to bring her along. After all, you are taking such good care of the ranch, it’s the least we can do. Does Alex have any kind of allergy or food she doesn’t like?” Cat asked as if it was a done deal and she saw Kara smile.

“She hates artichokes but I doubt you will find any around here so, we should be safe,” she replied with another smirk and Carter made a disgusted face.

“I hate artichokes too!” he said and Kara laughed.

As she watched them interact so easily, Cat thought she could get used to that kind of morning routine.

\---

“Well, hello again,” a voice suddenly chimed behind her and Cat startled, turning her head so fast she almost got whiplash.

Alex was standing in the middle of the main floor, in the space between the dinner table and the tv corner, with her hands on her hips and an easy smile on her lips.

“Oh, hello Alex, I didn’t hear you come in,” Cat greeted her with a small frown, glancing towards the door to notice it was closed.

“Yes, well. I used to work for a law enforcement agency, we learn to be stealthy over there … I’m sorry if I scared you, though,” Alex amended with a slightly worried gleam in her eyes.

Cat remembered how Alex had noticed her presence the first time, by looking in the reflective surface of the toaster.

She idly thought the older Danvers wasn’t someone she wanted as her enemy.

“Pleasure to see you again, Alex,” Cat finally said as she got up from the couch to reach a hand for Alex to shake it.

“So formal, I almost miss that kind of distance,” Alex smirked, shaking Cat’s hand with a firm but honest grip.

“Rednecks are not so civilized, I assume …” Cat casually said as she made her way towards the kitchen to turn the oven on. Everything was ready but since she had no idea when the sisters would show up, she had put the meat and potatoes in the oven to be able to heat it when needed.

“You truly are a journalist, Cat. I mean I’m more used to the intrusive kind, all bold questions and raw, hurtful comments but even with your subtle approach, I can sense your curiosity from miles away,” Alex laughed and came to stop in front of the sink to wash her hands.

“Kara should be here in a few minutes, she’s cleaning up Rao, he chased down a cow into the mud and he was very filthy. Since she doesn’t go anywhere without him, she had to wash him,” Alex explained as she grabbed a clean towel to dry her hands, watching as Cat pulled out a bottle of wine from the small wine cave next to the fridge.

“That’s quite alright, it will take a few minutes to warm up anyway. I’m just going to call my son, make yourself at home … Oh, well. I guess in some way, it is your home also …” Cat smugly said as she threw Alex an amused look.

“Funny,” Alex retorted with an unimpressed stare.

Cat chuckled and moved across the house to climb the stairs and go knock against her son’s bedroom door. When he didn’t answer, she sighed and pushed the door to reveal Carter, spread across his bed with his headphones on and a book in his hands.

She took a few steps forward and gently tapped on his shoulder, making him jump a little.

“Moom!” he protested, pushing his headset away and reaching for his phone to pause the music.

“I wouldn’t have to come in here if you weren’t blasting your music directly in your ears, you know. No, go wash your hands and join us for lunch, Alex is already here,” Cat ordered and Carter did as he was asked without any fuss, which was refreshing.

Cat returned in the kitchen a few minutes later, just as Kara pushed the front door with her dog on her heels.

“I see Rao is shining clean!” Cat teased as she waved Kara in, noticing the dog was still a little damp in some spot. The animal looked a little outraged and went straight to his rug, laying down onto it with his back to the humans.

“He’s a little upset, he doesn’t like when I wash him. He has no trouble at all when he is free to go in the water but forced baths are something he really hates,” Kara explained as she removed her boots and hung her hat near the vest Alex had already put up on the mural coat hanger.

“The poor boy,” Cat smirked and Kara pouted a little.

“Hi Kara! Hello, uh, Alex?” Carter said as he approached the stranger in the room, a little unsure as to how he was supposed to act.

Alex simply extended a hand and Carter shook it with a smile, happy to be treated as an adult.

“Hi Carter, Kara told me a lot about you, about your riding lessons. She says you’re a natural so, how do you like it?” Alex asked, sounding genuinely interested and it was enough for Carter to lose all apprehension and start talking as if he knew her since forever.

Lunch was filled with laughs and animated talks about Wyoming, cows, horses, cars, food and even the sky as the topics seemed to change without any kind of logic, carried away by a passionate Kara and an enthusiastic Carter.

Alex and Cat were just watching and throwing shade, rivalling each other in sarcasm and wit and Cat found that she genuinely liked the older Danvers. Kara was relaxed and comfortable, in the middle of her sister and Carter, facing Cat and teasing her from time to time while Carter helped.

Everyone helped to clean up the table and then, Alex and Kara stayed for a cup of coffee while Carter went back to his room.

“Thank you for lunch, Cat, it was really nice,” Alex said as she finished her cup, already getting up and moving to get her boots.

“My pleasure, we should do that again, should you be around,” Cat smiled at the sisters and Kara beamed at her, apparently very happy at the idea.

“I’d love too, maybe next week then. Cat, if you ever come in town, stop by the diner and I’ll serve you something more sophisticated than the coffee here,” Alex replied with a smirk and with a last wave, she was walking out.

Kara sighed and finished her coffee before standing up. She put her boots back on and attached the hat around her neck, letting it fall back between her shoulder blades before turning to find her dog.  
Rao looked up from his rug but he didn’t move and the woman frowned, annoyance etched across her features.

“Come on Rao, don’t make me carry you around,” she called but the dog only put his head back on the rug, defiantly looking at her.

“Fine, have it your way,” Kara grumbled and she marched towards the animal to lift him in her arms, under Cat’s impressed eyes. The dog wasn’t big but in Kara’s hold, he looked lighter than even a feather.

“Sorry Cat, could you please open the door for me?” Kara asked as she walked towards the front door and Cat moved to do as asked.

“Thank you, sorry again for the inconvenience. Bath time is truly an adventure with him … See your tomorrow, have a nice day!” Kara said with a smile and she disappeared on her sister’s tracks, leaving a slightly dumbfounded Cat behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> Here's another update, short but sweet ! Feel free to let me know your thoughts about this AU, what you like, what you don't like, where you think it's heading, what you would like to see happen ...  
> I should probably remind you that I don't have any schedule for this fic, so don't expect too much of it!
> 
> I'm on tumblr at **lost-your-memory** if you want to stop by for a chat
> 
> As always, reviews are nice


	7. CHAPTER 6

Midvale wasn’t really much of a town, Cat thought as she slowed down on main avenue.  
A few damaged roads coursing through a few blocks of disparate old houses and dusty shops, all gathered around the only building that looked like it had known better days.

In a true cowboy fashion style, the edifice was made of wood and flanked with old and unused horses beams and troughs. The last ones, on each side of the saloon wooden doors, were filled with plants instead of water and it gave an odd look to the frontage.  
Cat parked her sports car outside in the dust, in between an old pickup truck and a shiny black SUV, and studied the place.

The porch was clean but clearly old, with cracks on the slope of the roof that let the light through and probably the rain as well. In some spots, the wooden planks were a shade darker than the rest of the material and something had eaten the wood away, showing shards and weak wood knots. The deck seemed solid enough though and Cat wondered if Alex had renovated it herself.

She got out of the car and walked to push the double saloon doors, a little skeptical as to what she was going to find inside but pushed by the desire to see Alex again. Her natural journalistic instinct was tingling.

“Oh,” She let out in a ragged breath as she looked around with wide eyes.

While she had been expecting the wooden theme, the deck and the cowboy ambiance, she was taken aback by the mixture of old and new that gave the place a strange but welcoming vibe.

The general dressing of the inside was the kind anyone would expect in this little town, wooden furniture, ripped-leather benches and coppers pipes and lights but the wild west side of the decorum was thrown off by the modern parts, fashion designed chairs around high chromed tables, various pieces of modern culture hanging everywhere on the walls or resting atop homemade wooden shelves, posters, photography, paintings, and action figures.

Everything looked both old and new and most of the shelves and furnitures were homemade, from old boxes of wines, wooden palettes, dusty pipes of steel and even some broken glass.

Behind the wooden bar that had been renovated and fixed up more than once apparently, shelves and shelves of alcohol bottles were on display, elegantly reflected by the mirror behind it.  
Cat had to admit there were some bottles she herself didn’t recognize and she was fairly proud of her extended knowledge of alcoholic beverages.

Alex suddenly appeared from a backdoor at the end of the room and greeted her with surprise.  
“Hi Cat, I didn’t know you were coming to town today!”

“It’s kind of a last-minute decision, yes … This place is … surprising,” Cat slowly said as she finished to take in the rest of the room, the sparkles of colors showing in an unusual chair, a different poster, a painting, a bunch of action figures and even the lights were not all the same, spots and old lustres were strategically placed across the room. Big windows here and there were also letting the natural sunlight in, removing some of the dusty old ambiance that could have darkened the space.

“I’m glad you think so. Kara and I did most of the work around here, it was her idea to change the place and to throw in something more recent, a new vibe she said,” Alex explained before wiping her hands at the towel she had thrown across her shoulder a moment before.

She was wearing a pair of old ripped blue jeans, her usual boots and a red and black flannel shirt of which she had rolled up the sleeves on her arms. Cat caught a glimpse of half a tattoo before Alex pulled down the sleeves and walked around to get behind the bar.

“Can I offer you something to drink? It’s on the house,” Alex winked and Cat smiled, pleased by the welcome. She hooped onto a stool and asked for a coffee, since it was not even eleven in the morning, but she was already thinking of finding a way to come here in the evening, to ask to try some of the alcohol she didn’t know.

“Any special request for your drink?” Alex threw above her shoulder as she handled a huge coffee machine, brand new if the lustrous chromes were anything to go by.

“Hmm surprise me, but no whole milk and it has to be piping hot,” Cat retorted, noticing the smirk across Alex’s lips, in the mirror behind the bottles, above the machine.

“Alright then,” Alex nodded and worked her magic. A few minutes later, she put a steaming hot cup of coffee in front of Cat. The design on the top of the beverage was showing a question mark, made of a clearer color than the rest of the lid and Cat arched a surprised brow at the bartender.

“Journalist, it seemed in theme,” Alex shrugged and it made Cat smirk. “Go ahead, tell me if you like it.”

Cat waited a few seconds before taking the cup in both her hands, revealing in the heat that almost burned her fingers and instantly warmed her whole body. It was so cold outside, for a summer season, she was almost regretting her whole evasion but then, she tried the coffee and oh.

“Is that …” She started and Alex smirked, finishing for her “A hint of cinnamon and a few sparkles of nutmeg, yes.”

Cat swallowed another sip of the coffee and was brought back to a time when she wasn’t worried about her look and calories intake, when Lois would bring her such a treat almost every morning before they could start their hunt for the new biggest story in town.

“There is no way you could have guessed my coffee preference, even with your secret agent training or whatever it was you did before wounding up here. Lucy told you, didn’t she?” Cat asked, smiling around the edge of the cup.

“She mentioned it once or twice, yes, saying your assistant always had a hard time finding the coffee you liked and when I asked why, she told me it was all in the dosage, as well as knowing your soft spot for cinnamon,” Alex nodded with a smirk, already putting away clean glasses and cups, tidying up the place without even thinking about it.

“Traitor,” Cat muttered but her smile was fond and amused.

“I’m guessing Carter is with Kara this morning, since you’re here alone? She really enjoys spending time with your son, it might be the first time I’ve seen her so eager to be with someone for the whole day, every day,” Alex said as she waved a customer that had just passed the saloon doors.

The man was the classic stereotype of the pretty cowboy, despite his rather short silhouette and the apparent nerves cloaking his every move. He was wearing a pair of old black boots, a faded blue jeans and a plaid shirt buttoned all the way up to the collar underneath the warm brown coat and he was holding the god-forsaken cowboy hat in his hand.

“Hi Winn, I’ll be right up with your coffee in a minute,” Alex greeted him and he beamed at the bartender in a way that reminded Cat of Kara, with the same kindness and easiness to the gesture.

“Does everyone around here wear a cowboy hat? What is it, some kind of never ending joke for the poor, unfortunate souls that would dare pass through this forgotten state?” Cat snarked and Alex threw her an unimpressed look.

“Despite the temperatures that are, I admit, quite low for this time of the year, the sun is still dangerous and a hat allows people to be even more protected than with a simple pair of sunglasses. Besides, most of the people you will see in this bar grew up here or in a similar state and it’s part of their identity, at this point,” Alex replied, the look in her eyes hardening with every single word. “The boots, the jeans, knowing how to ride a horse and take care of a ranch, the damaged lanes and sturdy pickup trucks … Movies always make fun of that way of life and it either makes people laugh or dream but the reality is here, Cat. This is real and you should learn not to make fun of those people because they don’t drive fancy sport cars or because they feel more comfortable with animals than with people …”

Cat tilted her head to the side and studied Alex, intrigued by the sudden protectiveness she could hear in the bartender’s tone and see in her attitude, with brusque moves and forced control.

“It’s a little funny, you know? See, I know for a fact you didn’t grow up in this kind of place. I’m curious, why would someone like you, who went to MIT and started to work as a bioengineer for some obscure government agency before you were even graduated would suddenly disappear from what is known as the civilized world to be found in a tiny little town in the middle of the Buffalo state, owning a bar and playing with cowboys?” Cat casually dropped, still holding her cup near her lips but never taking her eyes off the older Danvers.  
Alex didn’t react at all and Cat had to admit she was impressed by the self-control the bartender was displaying. Not a single muscle moved across Alex’s features and Cat had no idea if the woman was angry, surprised or annoyed.

“Lucy warned me you were a good damn journalist,” Alex finally replied, her tone staying very neutral as she stared into Cat’s eyes.

“I wish I could get rid of that nasty instinct but you see, it’s kind of who I am and it’s what has gotten me so far in life, so maybe it’s not such a bad thing after all,” Cat smiled and she hoped the gesture would soften Alex a little.

She didn’t come here for a fight, she only wanted to understand who the Danvers sisters were.

Kara, underneath the apparent kindness and smiling attitude, was hiding something and Alex, with her bluntness and the sarcasm running deep in her veins, had her obvious share of secrecy and it was nagging at Cat, who made a living of discovering secrets.

“Oh yeah? I guess it explains why you, of all people, ended up in what you so explicitly described as the uncivilized world with your teenage son, buried in a ranch in the middle of … Buffalo state,” Alex retorted without a smile and Cat gritted her teeth.

She had walked right into this one. She sighed and then put the cup back onto the counter but Alex was already off to go serve the pretty boy his coffee. She regretted the turn the discussion had taken but she couldn’t exactly help herself, which was exactly Alex’s point.

Her drive for the truth had gotten her and her son in a very dangerous situation and yet, here she was again, bothering someone who had been nothing but welcoming and helpful just because she wanted to know her secrets.

“You know Cat, I don’t have a problem with you doing your job but this, what you’re trying to dig out with me and I guess, with Kara too, is none of your business. You’re not here to write an article about us, you’re here to lay low and I would appreciate it if you could drop the matter entirely,” Alex said as she came back behind the counter to retrieve Cat’s empty cup, putting it in the sink in one fluid movement.

“I’m sorry Alex, you’re absolutely right,” Cat replied with a sheepish smile, relieved to see the woman was taking it that easily. She hated apologies and she always had a hard time coming up with one, even when it was needed, but she was grateful for Alex’s mature and calm call-out on the situation.

“Well well well, can I have this on tape? I have feeling this must be worth thousands if I get that out there …” Alex smirked and Cat glared at her, while trying her best not to smile at the gentle jab.

“Alright then, do you want another cup of coffee?” Alex offered and Cat nodded, throwing her carefully crafted diet away as she watched Alex deal with the coffee machine.

\---

“It’s snowing. It’s the middle of summer and there are honest to god snowflakes falling from the sky.”

“Yes Carter, I may live in National City with you but I am familiar with the concept of snow,” Cat replied, as she watched her son pace in between the couch and the coffee table. She was curled under a blanket in the corner of said couch and from time to time, she would look out the window to see the snow fall softly to the ground.

“I swear this is the worst time of my life,” Carter grumbled and he stormed out to the stairs, climbing them and slamming the door of his bedroom behind him.  
Cat felt the words cut at her soul but she swallowed her guilt back, reminding herself he was better off sulking in the middle of nowhere than put at a risk in National City.

The situation was weighing heavy on them but she knew it was the right choice, despite the less than ideal weather for a summer holiday and the extremely remote location. She kept telling herself Carter would come around, like Lucy said, but each passing day where he was voicing his anger and discontent was making a dent in her hopes.

She tried to get back into her book, a mildly interesting thriller with a journalist as the protagonist investigating a sordid affair of murders with a naive and doe-eyes rookie cop, but she was unfocused and distracted.

Ten minutes later, a knock on the door pulled her out of her wandering thoughts and she moved from her comfy spot on the couch to go see who it was.

When she opened the door, she was faced with a very smiling Alex Danvers, snowflakes caught in her short auburn hair and her cheeks red from the cold temperature, wearing a cozy winter coat with fur around the collar and the hood.

“Morning Cat, I figured since it’s so cold today, I could drop by with coffee,” she explained, raising the hand that was holding a four spots cardboard trail with only three tall cups.

The very rich aroma of coffee wafted through the air and Cat even recognized a hint of cinnamon, it made her smile.

“My sister should be right behind me with some wooden logs, we figured you might want a fire …” Alex smirked as she stepped inside, brushing past Cat to remove her boots and coat before going to put the coffee on the counter island in the kitchen.

She moved around the house with the ease of someone who lived here and Cat wondered if Alex and Lucy were thinking of getting more serious, in a near future. If the talk she had had with her friend before the younger Lane had to go back to National City was anything to go by, probably not.

“Carter, kid, are you up there?”

Cat jumped a little at the sound of Alex’s voice echoing through the first floor but when she heard the soft sound of a door being unlocked, she looked up to see her son step out of his room.

He leaned a little over the railing and frowned at Alex, still grumpy.

“Yeah, what?” He grumbled, not even trying to put on a smile.

“Oi, could you even be less enthusiastic? I came bearing a gift but you know, if you’re that moody, maybe you don’t deserve it.” Alex shrugged and took a cup of coffee, bringing it to Cat.

“Your usual, I had the chocolate version of it for your son but he’s being a douche. Don’t worry though, I’m sure Kara will love it.” Alex winked before going back to the kitchen, taking just a detour to open the door to Kara.

The younger Danvers was wearing a red and black plaid coat with goat fur on the inside and the edges of her cowboy hat were covered with snow. She had obviously spent the first part of the morning outside, judging by how red her cheeks and nose were, and the small cracks on her lips gave away that she was cold. Her skin was almost shining under the dim light of this gray day, the tan suddenly looking out of place.

She had some snowflakes gently caught in the golden locks of her hair, already melting away but it made her look a little more unreal, like a vision from a dream.

She stepped in and put the wicker basket full of wood on the floor as her dog went straight for the rug that was his. She hung up her coat and hat and took off her boots before carrying the load of logs across the room, smiling at Cat as she walked past her.

“Morning Miss Grant. Hi Carter!” She waved the young teenager with her free hand and he answered with as much joy, surprising both Alex and Cat.

“Hi Kara! Are you guys gonna start a fire?” he asked, already making his way downstairs and getting closer to the fireplace, in front of which Kara was now kneeling.

“Indeed I am, I thought it would be nice, since it’s snowing …” Kara replied a little absentmindedly, already crumpling some old newspaper pages to prepare the fire.  
She was concentrating and Carter simply watched, not asking any more questions. Alex brought him the cup of chocolate and he thanked her with a warm smile before focusing back on what Kara was doing.

A few minutes later, a huge fire was roaring in the fireplace, diffusing a more than welcome warmth across the living room.  
Cat took back her spot in the couch and Alex sat down in front of her, in one of the comfy armchairs. Kara decided to stick by the fireplace and she simply sat on the rug spread in between the couches, her back to the fire. Carter joined her, careful not to spill any chocolate in the process.

“Is this weather even normal? I mean, snow? It’s freaking July …” Carter grumbled as he scooted backward to get closer to the warmth. He was clutching his cup in both hands but since it was still piping hot, he was using the long sleeves of his black sweater to act as a protection.

“Yeah, it’s pretty usual,” Alex answered with a shrug and Carter grumbled something that sounded a lot like a swear word but no one scowled at him. Cat was simply too tired to get in yet another fight with her son about his manners, or lack of it and Alex decided it wasn’t her place.

As for Kara, she wasn’t even paying any attention to the other people in the room. She looked distracted and thoughtful at once, miles away from the ranch’s living room.

“What has your sister so preoccupied she doesn’t even notice we are talking about her?” Cat finally asked, throwing a curious glance at the silent cowgirl by the fire.

“It’s the snow. It makes Kara feel a little melancholic, it always has,” Alex explained with a soft and distant smile. “She loves snow as much as she hates it, it brings back memories and not all of them are happy ones.”

Cat remembered the comment Lucy had let slip about Kara’s parents and she frowned at the older Danvers.

“I never realized … You’re her adoptive sister, aren’t you?” Cat asked as the pieces of the puzzle suddenly fit together in her mind. Her journalistic instincts were awakening and she was now desperate to know everything about the Danvers sisters.

“I am, but this is not a discussion we are having today, Cat,” Alex answered and her voice carried a warning note, subtle but clear enough for the journalist to understand it wouldn’t do her any good to dig deeper. Not now, at least.

“Fine, then explain to me how you left whatever agency you were working for to lose yourself in the middle of nowhere, as a bar owner,” Cat chose to move the topic to Alex only, not giving up entirely.

The older Danvers smiled, amused and clearly aware of the subterfuge but she didn’t deflect. Something sparkled in her green eyes that led Cat to think Alex was well aware that it was a trade, a momentary distraction.

“I used to work for the FBI, back in National City,” Alex started and at that, Carter’s interest picked up and he moved from the floor to the couch in which his mother was already occupying a whole angle. “I got recruited before even graduating MIT, to be a part of a special unit that study and apprehend some highly sensitive … profiles, let’s put it that way.”

Alex’s tone was clear and neutral but Cat arched an unimpressed brown, letting Alex know she wouldn’t let go of the deflection easily. The older Danvers held her glare and then subtly moved her chin towards Carter. Cat understood and sighed, knowing she couldn’t expose her young teenager of a son to the kind of information Alex was holding back.  
“Alright, so what happened?” Cat asked, letting that one matter drop but still not willing to let the whole story go away.

“It’s … complicated. I realized one day that there was no good side and no bad one, that it was one grey area in which I didn’t find myself anymore. What we were doing, what I was doing … It wasn’t entirely wrong, but it clearly wasn’t right either and I couldn’t live with it. So, I quit my job and I joined Kara here, in the middle of nowhere. That was like … four years ago, I think,” Alex ended with a casual shrug to alleviate all the seriousness of the moment.  
Carter was looking at her with a renewed interest and his mother had the same kind of fascinated gleam in her green eyes. Alex sighed and glanced at her sister, who was still looking the snow fall by the window, oblivious to the rest of the room.

“You know, you can’t go around and ask all kind of personal questions like this,” Alex stated and she focused back on Cat, meeting her eyes this time.

“Why not?” Cat challenged, arching a brow at the sudden steel in Alex’s tone. Carter’s eyes were going back and forth between the older Danvers and his mother, as if he was trying to guess what was happening.

“Because you’re going to hurt someone doing so,” Alex replied and this time, her voice sounded breathless, a little hollow even. It echoed around the first floor like a threat and Cat and Alex didn’t break their eye contact, up until Carter gave up and rose from his seat to go back to his previous spot, next Kara.

“I’m tired of the adults, speaking around me as if I was just some kid,” Carter casually said and Kara turned her head to face him, looking a little surprised. She caught on what he just said and then smiled.

“Deal with it kid, I’m twenty-eight and my sister still talks to me as if I were five sometimes,” she teased and Carter gave her a funny look.

“That’s because sometimes, you are five,” he stated and a smug smile broke across his features when he saw the outraged look she was throwing him. Alex laughed and Cat smirked, nodding along what her son had just said.

“The kid has a point, you know,” Alex added with an amused look and Kara just stared back at her sister, clearly unimpressed.

“How about us kids, we play a game?” Carter suggested after a beat and Cat arched a surprised brow at him. He never asked to play games anymore and she missed the time when they would play Settlers of Catan for hours but she respected that he was growing up and losing his interest for that kind of activities.

“Don’t look at me like that mom, what else do you suggest we do in the middle of nowhere while it’s snowing outside, during summer?” he sassed, clearly being sarcastic but his smile was light and teasing.

“Well, like Alex said … you do have a point here,” Cat relented, hiding the happy smile that threatened to float across her lips behind a mock sigh.

“Okay so, is there any board game in the house?” Carter asked, instinctively turning to Alex for an answer.

Alex seemed to think for a while and she was about to answer when Kara chimed in, raising up from the floor to approach the couch.

“Do you guys know how to play poker?”

Both the mother and the son threw her a quizzical look, clearly not expecting her to know how to play and never expecting her to suggest such a game.

Alex snorted and then went to the kitchen to search the drawers. It didn’t take long before she came back with two decks of cards, a small metallic suitcase and a smug smile on her face.

“I don’t mean to be rude Kara but, you’re like the most expressive person I know … don’t you suck at Poker?” Carter finally asked, jumping right in the middle of the topic in that careless way only teenagers could manage.

“That’s slightly offensive kid, really,” Kara retorted but there was a mischievous gleam in her eyes that told Cat she was not to be underestimated.

“Sure, whatever, but did you know mom is kinda famous in National City, in the poker world? She’s the real deal, in town …” Carter added with something like pride in his voice and Cat’s heart soared softly in her chest, revealing in how her son was talking about her.

“That’s the thing, kid. She’s not in town anymore,” Kara replied and the smile on her lips was unlike anything Cat had seen so far. It was predatory and hungry, with a side of danger that made her look like someone new, like a stranger with familiar features and if Cat was being honest with herself, she found this new Kara very hot.

“Fine, suit yourself. Don’t sulk when she beats you okay, I like our riding lessons!” Carter shrugged and then helped Alex to set up the game and distribute the chips.

\---

“You have got to be kidding me!” Carter exclaimed, a slight whining echoing in his voice as he threw the cards onto the table.

Kara gently deposited her royal flush in front of his strong suit and smiled sweetly at him before raffling all the chips to her side.

As it turned out, Kara was invincible.

“How are you even that good, you can’t even call me by my first name and you blush more time than I can count in one day. How do you have such an uncrackable poker face?” Cat asked, trying to not sound too impressed.

She was barely matching Kara’s talent and she knew she was excellent; one does not run a media empire and deal with the society’s elite without being good at hiding their game but this, this was a whole other level.

Kara Danvers was a true master and Alex was clearly having the time of her life watching both Grants run towards their demise. Carter had just lost his last chips and Cat was dangerously short of them too, but still valiantly standing.

“Last game, it’s between you and me, Miss Grant,” Kara said and she purposely accentuated the name, still not calling Cat by her first name. Cat narrowed her eyes at Kara and nodded.

“Game on, then, Miss Danvers,” she retorted and Kara’s smile, wide but mischievous, made her feel dizzy and warm. She briefly thought this was seriously getting embarrassing but then Kara dealt the cards and she focused on the game.

“Do you wanna bet, kid?” Alex whispered not so subtly to Carter, who looked between both his mother and Kara with interest.

“I can’t do that, it wouldn’t be fair to mom … I would have bet on her you know, always, but then Kara happened and now I don’t wanna lose my bet …” Carter answered and he sounded conflicted indeed.

Cat couldn’t help it but to feel a surge of sadness at the idea that her son wasn’t standing by her no matter what, like she would have for him. She knew it was a silly game and that his reasoning was logical - Kara was indeed a formidable adversary and she wasn’t sure she could beat her but somehow, she had unconsciously hoped for Carter to still bet on her.

She pushed her feelings aside and focused on her game, studying her cards with an unreadable expression she had spent years polishing. She had a good hand, she could still stand a chance depending on the river but she had a bad feeling about the game and it nagged at her, twisting her guts in tiny anxious knots.

Kara was as unreadable as she had been since they started playing, her chiseled features made of steel not giving any emotion away. Her eyes were ever so blue, blue like a summer sky above the ocean and she was so beautiful, sun-kissed locks dancing around her face, bouncing off her shoulders and cascading freely down her back. Cat got lost in her staring for a little while, until she heard her son’s voice.

“Mom, it’s your turn to announce.”

The words took only a few seconds to get to her brain but then she glanced at her game and put a hundred dollar chip on top of her pile, daring Kara to follow.

The younger Danvers took her sweet time to do so, but eventually she added two more chips on top of her own pile and Cat thought she was screwed. She studied her hand, the river and the piles of chips on either side of the table before deciding to take a risk.

“All in,” she announced, pushing all of her chips towards her pile and that got a reaction from Kara. A small one but still, she arched a brow for two seconds, either impressed or amused Cat didn’t know but it was a move.

“Alright, all in,” Kara followed and she did the same, giving away her many many chips.

“Alright, ladies and gentleman, be prepared!” Alex exclaimed, getting ready to pull the last card of the river.

When the ace of hearts joined the rest of the cards at the end of the river, everyone held their breath. It was Cat’s turn to show and she glanced at her hand. It was a four of a kind with all the aces and the king of hearts and usually, it would be a really good hand but Kara had already demonstrated she was not to be underestimated and Cat had no idea what to expect.

“Alright then,” she sighed and turned her cards up, showing her hand.

“Good one mom!” Carter encouraged, clearly happy about it but then he turned to look at Kara, like the rest of the players. Alex was waiting, a curious look etched across her features, while Cat and Carter were almost radiating anticipation, and a bit of anxiety too.

Kara looked at the cards on the table and stayed silent for a little while, clearly lost in her thoughts. Cat felt slightly uneasy but she kept her mouth shut, not wanting to startle her adversary.

Eventually, Kara dropped her cards face down and simply said “Fold.”

For a second, no one moved nor talked but then Carter jumped on his feet and bounced on his spot, a happy laugh bubbling from his chest and spilling out of his lips.

“Well done mom, high five! I knew you’d find a way to beat her! You’re the best!” Carter said and he moved to spontaneously hug his mother, taking her a little off guard.

She didn’t think too hard though, returning the embrace and letting a small laugh escape her lips as well, more pleased by the hug than by the victory.

It was only when she gazed into Kara’s ever so blue eyes that she noticed the soft gleam, the tenderness sparkling all around the clear irises and she even though there was something like longing, lost in all the blue of Kara’s eyes.

Kara rose from the couch and offered some more tea, chocolate or coffee and once everyone gave her their orders, she moved towards the kitchen.

Carter had moved to sit down next to his mother, asking a few questions about the poker combos and how to know which one was superior between a few examples. Cat was showing him a few games and explaining the names when she saw Alex take a look at Kara’s hand.

From the thoughtful expression on the older Danvers’ face, Cat guessed something wasn’t quite right and she had the sudden feeling Kara let her win on purpose. Alex didn’t say anything and simply shuffled the cards back into the deck, playing with them a little before putting them down on the coffee table.

“Carter, would you mind getting me a glass of water, please?” Cat asked and Carter nodded, joining Kara in the kitchen.

“She let me win, didn’t she?” Cat whispered and Alex looked up from her phone. She looked hesitant for a while but Cat stared, expecting an answer and an honest one.

“Yeah, she did,” Alex finally relented with a soft sigh. She didn’t look surprised or annoyed but Cat felt the familiar burning sensation of anger, spreading from her heart to her veins, coursing through her whole being.

“Don’t be mad at her, I think she did it for Carter,” Alex added, as if she had sensed the upcoming storm boiling in Cat’s heart.

It tempered Cat’s foul mood but not entirely and she still glared at the younger Danvers when Kara came back with a cup of coffee for her. Only when Kara smiled at her, sweetly and a little sheepishly, Cat found herself unable to stay mad and that fact alone made her roll her eyes in annoyance.

“Here Mom, your water,” Carter said as he took back his spot next to his mother. She accepted the glass with a smile and focused back on Kara, who was sipping at her chocolate with a distant look in her eyes.

“Alright, I’m going to get started with lunch, any help is welcome. I mean, aside from yours Kara, I heard some horrific tales of your kitchen adventures and let’s just not reproduce them,” Cat quirked and Kara pouted, making both Grants smirk with amusement.

In the end, Alex and Kara stayed on the other side of the kitchen island while the Grants made lunch, conversation flowing easily between them and making the whole scene look very natural, familial even.

\---

Cat woke up with a jolt, finding herself in a sitting position and instantly looking around with a panicked look in her eyes.

She was in the living room of the Lane’s ranch, half laying, half sitting on one of the couches facing the fireplace and she noticed a fire was still roaring softly, quietly. A blanket was spread atop her body and she blinked a few times, not remembering falling asleep.

“Everything okay?” Kara’s voice echoed in the room and Cat followed the sound to find the younger Danvers sitting in the angle of the other couch, a book in her hands and reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose, her bright blue eyes sparkling from the flames’ reflection.

“How … why are you still here?” Cat asked and she sounded a bit blunt, she realized it once the sentence was out. She was still reeling from her nightmare and she hated the uneasiness cloaking her mind and tightening her muscles. She also hated the fact someone was witnessing her weak state.

“I was about to leave but you said you could use some company, so I stayed. You fell asleep a little later and I didn’t know what to do, so I stayed and I took care of the fire in the meantime. I’m sorry if I overstayed, I’m going now,” Kara replied, closing her book and moving to stand up.

“No, please, I’m sorry. I was … I had a bad dream and I am not used to …” Cat tried to explain, not exactly knowing how to put words on her weaknesses.

“It’s quite alright, Miss Grant, don’t worry about it. It’s time to go home anyway, it’s past midnight and I am getting up with the sun …” Kara smiled and it was gentle and soft, Cat felt a little better just by looking at it.

She wanted Kara to stay, to talk a little more and to chase away the remnants of her dream but she had no idea how to ask for it. She was drawn to the girl’s smile and general attitude, the warmth that always seemed to surround Kara and the feeling of safety she could inspire just by showing up, just by being there. She sighed and shook her head, aware that she wasn’t making any sense and that she should let Kara go.

“Alright then, will you take Carter with you tomorrow?” She asked, pushing the blanket away and moving to stand up as well.

Kara removed her glasses and put them in the chest pocket of her shirt and Cat was struck by how different she looked, without her glasses. She was more used to see Kara without them but now that she had seen them on, the contrast was even more startling.

“Absolutely, we also have a riding lesson after lunch,” Kara added with a smile and she moved towards the door to grab her coat and her hat, calling for her dog with a soft whistle.

“He’s looking forward to it,” Cat smiled and she followed the younger Danvers to close the door behind her.

“Thank you, for today,” Kara suddenly said and Cat arched a brow, silently asking what about.

“Letting Alex and I stay with you guys, playing games, having lunch, you know. The whole day, it took my mind off some … unwanted memories,” Kara said and her voice echoed in the quietness of the ranch, low and loaded.

“Anytime,” Cat chose to answer, not asking anything despite her journalistic instincts already kicking in.

“Thank you,” Kara smiled and she stepped outside, the dog already running towards the stable. She shook her head and then turned to face Cat.

“Good night, Cat,” Kara said and the way her name sounded in Kara’s mouth made Cat’s heart race and leap in her chest. It was the first time the younger Danvers used it and she had no idea how to react without betraying how it affected her.

She didn’t have to though, because Kara simply smiled and walked away after one last nod, leaving Cat to stand in the doorframe with a dreamy look in her eyes and a sarcastic mocking voice echoing in her head, telling her to stop acting like a lovestruck teenager.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys !
> 
> This is a very long chapter I know, but it didn't feel right to split it so ... you know. I hope this was a cool one though, with lots of feelings and talks in between those lovely characters! I played a lot with canon things and traits, so I hope it's alright.
> 
> I am posting this chapter earlier than expected because I am having a terrible bad day at work and I'm hoping some comments will cheer me up so, even if it's just capital nonsense ... feel free to react!
> 
> You can also come and say hi on tumblr, I'm **lost-your-memory** there
> 
> Also, HI @svpercat <3
> 
> _As always, reviews are more than welcome !_  
> 


	8. CHAPTER 7

They all fell into a sort of routine, with Kara and Carter doing a lot of work around the ranch in the mornings and then enjoying the afternoon’s riding lessons, and Alex coming around once or twice a week to have lunch or dinner with them. Cat was trying very hard not to let this easy picture of a family go to her head. 

She usually spent her mornings with a book or her MacBook, doing some reading or trying to write, but she often found herself lost in some fantasy about an idyllic life, and though the location and the general setting changed every time, the blonde woman with pretty ocean eyes was always around somewhere, a constant in every day-dream, in every scenario her cheesy brain could come up with.

Since the first time Kara stayed late, she had spent a few more evenings with Cat, sharing a comfortable silence as they both sat in the kitchen reading or talking about life with an ease that still left Cat speechless sometimes. 

She had discovered that Kara was, in fact, truly fascinating. The girl was full of stories about nature, about the landscape, or about adventures she had had abroad or in the ranch. She knew a lot of facts and anecdotes and she was incredibly smart and naturally curious, with a strange but interesting way of looking at things. 

They spent a whole five hours talking about the importance and the limits of freedom of speech and Kara managed to make Cat look at everything from another angle, another point of view, one that would be very helpful for her career. 

If she even had a career to go back to by the end of the summer, that was, she bitterly thought as she closed her MacBook, unable to focus on her writing any longer.

She got up from her usual spot on the couch and made her way toward the kitchen, thinking about making herself a cup of coffee when the landline rang, loudly enough to make her jump a little.

“God damn it,” Cat swore, catching her breath and then moving to pick up. 

The phone looked ancient, made of a white plastic that had turned a bit yellow through the years. It was hung up on the wall next to the entrance door, right above a small table with a piece of stationery and a few pens gathered in an old wooden mug. An old rocking chair had been placed near the piece of furniture, looking comfortable and inviting despite the damaged wood and almost-gone varnish surviving around it arms. 

She didn’t trust the old looking device so she grabbed the handset but didn’t put it completely against her ear as she greeted “Hello?”

“Hello Cat, it’s Luce!” 

Cat smiled and sat on the rocking chair, happy to hear her friend’s voice. 

Lucy had called a few times already but it had always been short and a little rushed since she was often interrupted, either by her assistant to remind her of some meetings or event she needed to attend to, or by some employee of the company asking for something. 

“Hello Luce, how is life on the coast?” Cat asked, finally relenting and tucking the phone between her ear and her shoulder to grab the plaid blanket sitting atop the back of the chair.   
The temperatures around the ranch were still awfully low and since she had left the comfort of the fire area, she could feel she was starting to get cold.

“Busy, as always. I don’t know how you do it, Cat. I’ve been at it for less than two weeks and I feel like I aged by ten years already, I can feel my bones crack with exhaustion everytime I crash into my bed for a few hours of very much needed sleep …” Lucy answered with a heavy sigh, making Cat chuckle. 

“Yes well, and I am the mother of a moody teenaged son, in addition to everything you are currently experiencing.” She pointed out, not even bothering to hide the smug edge in her voice. She then softened a little. “Thank you, for doing this Luce. I know it’s hard and I am very grateful you’re taking care of my company, while I … well. One might say I am lazing around.” 

Lucy laughed and Cat smiled, relieved to see that her friend didn’t hold anything against her. After all, it was her reckless behavior and stubborn instincts, that had put them all in this less than ideal situation. 

“How is life in BuffaloLand? Is Carter still giving you a hard time for it?” Lucy asked after a slight pause and Cat’s smile grew fonder at the thought of her son.

“Life is going pretty well here, I’m dying of boredom most of the time but Kara is keeping Carter entertained and he’s crashing down before ten every night, exhausted but happy.” Cat smiled at how easily Carter was going to sleep every night. “She’s great with him. I never would have imagined Carter doing any manual work but apparently, he loves it. I’m not sure if it’s the work or the company though.”

“Hold on a second,” Lucy asked and Cat heard her friend’s muffled voice, no doubt directing another helpless employee toward what needed to be done. 

As much as Cat loved her work, she didn’t miss the constant headache that came with every coworker barging into her office to ask for something. She had managed, with each passing year, to put up a reputation of being a picky boss, a not so patient one and it had considerably reduced those unwanted interruption but still, there were a few who persisted. 

“Was that Snapper Carr?” she asked when Lucy’s voice came through again.

“Yes, he was informing me of an issue in the printing department, one I will have to deal with as soon as this call ends,” Lucy grumbled and Cat didn’t miss the annoyance in her friend’s tone.

“Hiring him was my biggest mistake and my greatest triumph at once,” Cat said and when Lucy scoffed, she smiled and tried to explain what she meant. “Oh don’t get me wrong, he’s a brat and he’s insufferable but he’s the best reporter I ever had. He’s not afraid of anything, not even me,much to my chagrin … He might be a walking personification of the Grinch, or whatever grumpy creature you can think of, but he’s incredible at what he does and most of all, he’s loyal. Don’t put up with his moods, challenge him, ruffle his feathers. He will respect you for that, more than if you let him get away with anything.” 

“How did you even manage to find him in the first place?” Lucy asked after a short pause, one Cat guessed she used to process everything.

“Funny thing is, I didn’t. He found me, when I was building my company and he asked me to hire him. He was younger but not novice, he already had some pretty impressive scoops under his belt and he had an acerbic style, I liked it. I hired him on the spot, it’s only later I realized his personality was … shitty,” Cat finished and Lucy laughed again, more freely this time. 

“Tell me about it, yeah,” the younger Lane agreed. “So, I take it Kara is around all the time now, it’s no surprise with how well you cook.”

“I like to think she sticks around for my awesome personality more than for my cooking skills but you’re probably right, it does help,” Cat protested, a soft smile instinctively gracing her lips at the thought of Kara.

“How are things going on with her? Is she getting ready for the trip? Alex mentioned they were both looking forward to it,” Lucy asked and just like that, Cat’s smile disappeared.   
She had forgotten about the trip and somehow, the idea of not seeing Kara for two weeks didn’t sit well with her, in addition to the fact Carter would actually get bored and revert back to the little brat he had been at the very beginning of the stay. 

“Yes she’s excited,” Cat replied and when she didn’t elaborate on it, Lucy pushed.

“You’re not though, I can tell that much just by how dry your tone is.” It made Cat grit her teeth, she hadn’t meant to alert Lucy.

“I just, you know I don’t like not knowing facts. I would have appreciated a little warning, so I could actually prepare for it.” Cat suddenly realized how ambivalent it sounded and she rushed to add “What I mean is, Carter is going to be bored and I could have prepared something to keep him busy in the meantime, that is all.”

“Right, this is about Carter,” Lucy emphasized and Cat heard the disbelief in her friend’s voice. She knew Lucy wasn’t buying her excuse but she chose not to say anything, hoping her friend would take the hint.

Silence stretched in for a little while, more than a minute, but then Lucy spoke again.

“There’s the National Park nearby, Yellowstone, where you can actually see some wild buffaloes. It’s about a few hours away but I strongly suggest you take a SUV because the roads are damaged and sometimes, it’s only a dusty, destroyed path. You can rent a cabin there, most people go camping but I’m guessing it’s not really your thing …” Lucy chuckled and Cat rolled her eyes.

“Kara and Alex should be gone for about ten days, two weeks tops. You can use that time to go visit the Yellowstone National Park, it’s really beautiful. It’s also huge, you will have plenty of stuff to see. I don’t know if you took yours but if not, my camera is in my room, on the desk by the windows. There is a set of a batteries and a charger in the drawer on the left,” Lucy offered and Cat thanked her, knowing Carter would love taking pictures of the landscapes, of the animals and most of all, of the sky. 

“I have my own camera but if it’s alright with you, I will loan yours to Carter. He has always loved going around with a camera, he’s actually pretty decent at it too,” she glowed a little, proud of her young and artistic teenager.

“I know, I’ve seen some of his shots and he’s indeed really good. He has some amazing pictures of you, in black and white and I don’t even think you noticed you were being photographed. You should ask him to show them to you, if you haven’t seen them already. They’re really good,” Lucy agreed and Cat’s heart soared with love and pride, not even bothered by the fact her friend saw the pictures and not her. 

“Alright Cat, I’m sorry but I have to go. The printing problem won’t resolve by itself …” Lucy sighed and Cat chuckled before wishing the younger Lane good luck. 

They hung up and Cat took a few minutes to think about the plan Lucy had suggested. She didn’t exactly want to go to a National Park but she knew it was the only solution to keep Carter busy during Kara and Alex’s absence. If she was totally honest with herself, she also knew it would also keep her entertained without the young blonde’s presence.

“Mom, we’re home!” 

Carter’s voice, coming from behind the entrance door, startled her a little and she rose up from the rocking chair.

Before she could reach for the handle, Carter threw the door wide open and Cat couldn’t help it but smile at how happy he looked. Unruly dark blonde curls were escaping from his black beany and he had a broad smile, framed by two bright pink cheeks, rosy from the cold. 

“You’re in a good mood, Sweetheart,” Cat greeted him, moving to drop a spontaneous kiss on his forehead. 

He beamed at her and then turned away to take off his boots and his coat, plucking the beanie from his head to hang it up with his coat.

“Kara is on her way, she’s taking care of something in the stables first,” he told her as he made his way to the sink in the kitchen, waiting for the hot water before starting to wash his hands. 

“Alright, then you can help me with lunch. I was on the phone with Luce, I didn’t start on it yet,” Cat said, moving to join her son by the sink. She heard him sigh and she was certain he was going to protest but he didn’t, he simply waited by the counter island for her instructions.

They made lunch together, Carter asking some questions about how to cook and Cat answering easily, enjoying the simple shared moment. 

Kara came along twenty minutes later, as Carter was finishing setting up the table for the three of them. 

She didn’t have her hat on and her hair was gathered in a loose and high ponytail, strands of honey and gold dancing and bouncing with every move she made. Her cheeks were pink as she was obviously cold but she was smiling widely and her baby blue eyes were sparkling with freckles of joy and happiness. 

She was like a sun, bringing light and warmth into the house and Cat could only stare.

“Hello Cat, it smells heavenly in there,” Kara greeted her with a tiny wink, her smile never wavering as she, too, made her way to the kitchen to wash her hands. 

“Morning, Kara. I am beginning to think Lucy was right when she said you were only sticking around for my cooking abilities,” Cat finally managed to answer, shrugging slightly as if to help her get out of her dreamy trance. 

“Well, it does help, don’t get me wrong, but I’m mostly in there for the company,” Kara countered with another bright smile and Cat cursed inwardly. She would never get used to the soft and easy feeling that often washed over her whenever Kara was smiling directly at her.

“Alright, if you guys are done being gross, can we eat? I’m starving!” Carter chimed in from his spot at the table, already chewing on a piece of bread to fill his stomach. 

Kara arched a brow and turned her attention to him, half-surprised and half-amused. 

“Gross? How are we even being gross?” she asked, taking the plate of smoking vegetable from Cat’s hands to carry it to the table.

“Come on, my mom is looking at you with her heart in her eyes and you’re smiling so hard I actually feel bad for your muscles,” Carter shrugged and Cat blushed furiously. She moved to go retrieve the piece of meat from the oven, taking it as an excuse to recompose herself while Kara chuckled lightly.

“You need glasses, Carter. Your mother is looking at me quite normally and I always smile, you even asked me how it was possible for me to be so optimistic and impossibly positive, three days after we met,” Kara countered before taking a seat, right across the smug teenager.

“That is true, you’re always smiling but my mom never looked at anyone the way she looks at you before. I mean, she often looks at people as if she wants to tear their eyes out, rip them into tiny pieces to throw them in the wind … Aside from Lucy, you’re the only one she likes,” Carter replied with another shrug, already helping himself to some vegetables and mashed potatoes. 

“If you’re quite done debating how I look at people, I would appreciate it if you could change the subject, Carter,” Cat finally to sit between the cowgirl and the teenager, glaring at the last one.

“See, my point exactly. She’s throwing daggers at me right now and I am her son,” Carter smirked and Kara only shook her head, a soft smile gracing her lips for a few seconds. 

“Drop it, Carter. She’s going to ground you and it could mean no riding lesson for you, you know,” Kara warned and Cat felt grateful for the help. Especially since Carter seemed really scared by the possibility, instantly dropping the subject to ask about the Danvers upcoming trip. 

“So, where are you going exactly? How does it even work? Do you have like, equipment you need to take with you, to deal with the cows up there? Like a … portable fence or something?” Carter asked and Cat had to bite back a growl.She didn’t want to talk about that god forsaken trip; it made her feel uneasy and a little sad. 

“We don’t need anything to contain the cows, no,” Kara started to answer, serving a piece of meat to Cat before taking some for herself. “It’s a small herd, about twenty-five cows … Rao will make sure they stick together. We are going to a valley in the heart of the mountains, on the other side of the flanks you can see from the Ranch. The grass is greener, better and more nutritious for the cows …”

Carter was drinking in every single of Kara’s words and it annoyed Cat that she found herself fascinated by the trip as well. 

“It takes about four days to get there, we will be lounging around for a little while and then we come back. It’s a two-week trip, sometimes i even shorter. The weather should be good, except for some snow days on the way but the valley itself is actually lower than the ranch, it should be sunny and warm there,” Kara ended before putting a bite of meat in her mouth.The satisfied moan she let out made Cat almost shudder and she had to busy herself with some food to avoid staring at the cowgirl for too long. 

“Hmm, this is incredible Cat, thank you!” Kara said and Cat only nodded, smiling but not meeting Kara’s eyes. Luckily for her, Carter had plenty of questions to ask and it diverted Kara’s attention for the rest of the meal.

\---

The sound of a camera going off made Kara turn her head and she smiled broadly when she noticed Cat. Another click? and the girl’s smile was forever imprinted on a digital picture but when the journalist took a look at it, she found it didn’t do reality any justice.

“I would have thought you would come to take pictures of Carter, not of the girl taking care of the ranch in the middle of nowhere,” Kara teased before raising her voice to remind Carter to keep his legs relaxed and down.

“I can do both,” Cat shrugged and raised her camera again. “Beside, today’s light is fascinating and it gave your hair a glorious halo.”

She punctuated her last statement with another picture and Kara tilted her head, arching an amused brow while staring straight into the lens. Cat took another picture, mostly to hide the slight blush that had crept up her cheeks once she realized the compliment was a bit flirtatious. 

“Why thank you, Cat,” the cowgirl said and she then focused back on Carter.

Cat waited a few more second before lowering her camera, never taking her eyes off Kara.

It was true that the golden rays of the summer sun gave Kara’s hair a beautiful glow, with honey and amber harmoniously mixing up with darker tones, and it was as if the four seasons of a year were tangled in the bouncing strands. The tan on her skin still felt slightly out of place given the very low temperatures but in the afternoon sunlight, it made her look healthy and even warmer than she usually was, just like the soft and caring smile on her lips made her eyes gleam with blue waves and golden stars. 

More than ever, Kara looked like the sun itself and Cat wanted nothing more than to get closer.

“Mom, look!” Carter called for her and she reluctantly teared her eyes away from Kara to admire her son, who was currently galloping around the paddock. 

“Well done Carter! How does it feel?” Cat asked, raising her camera to snap a few shots of his broad smile and impeccable posture. 

“Incredible,” Carter replied with another huge smile and he then made the horse slow down, until he came to a full stop right in front of where his mother was standing outside of the pen. 

“Mom, you should try,” Carter suddenly said and he looked overly excited at the idea.

“I don’t think so, no,” Cat cut him off right away, already taking a step back but only to collide with something solid and warm. As she turned away, a wooden and spicy perfume invaded her senses and she fell into a pair of deep, sparkling blue eyes.

“Scared of horses, Miss Grant?” Kara asked with a small smirk and Cat didn’t even notice the use of her last name, for she was lost in Kara’s presence, Kara’s scent and Kara’s warmth, in the gentleness of Kara’s smile and the safe glow of Kara’s look. 

“Come on, mom, it’s fun I promise!” Carter encouraged her and when she heard a soft thud behind her, she knew he had just dismounted Comet.

“I don’t … I don’t think it’s a great idea. I’ve never been on a horse before and I don’t ...” Cat tried again, finding her voice again but still looking up in Kara’s ocean blue eyes. She saw something soft and tender sparkle in the incredibly blue irises and then Kara’s voice echoed in her ears, incredibly close.

“Would it make it better if I was to sit behind you, for your first try?” 

Cat’s brain went blank at the very idea of it and for a long while, she couldn’t even form a coherent thought. 

“Cat? Are you alright? It’s okay if you don’t want to try, you know, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable,” Kara added and she took a step back, concern etched on her soft and beautiful features. 

Cat instantly mourned the loss of Kara’s presence, the sudden distance in between their bodies feeling like a whole canyon after having stood so close to each other. She took a deep breath and steadied herself, getting ready to face one of her rare fears. 

“Alright, I will give it a try, if you stay with me,” she looked at Kara to make sure the cowgirl would get on the horse with her. 

“Deal. Alright, let’s try,” Kara said and she moved to go around Cat, walking toward the door to get inside the paddock. Cat swallowed hard, handed her camera to her son and then followed, finding herself standing near a suddenly too tall Comet.

“Damn, that’s tall,” she mumbled and she swallowed again, absolutely not certain of what she was doing.

“He’s actually pretty small, for a horse. Mine is much taller,” Kara said next to her but it did little to calm Cat’s bubbling anxiety. She was about to backtrack and cancel the whole thing off when she felt a gentle pressure on the small of her back, on top of her thick warm coat.

It took her a few seconds to realize it was Kara’s hand and when the cowgirl started rubbing her fingers in circle, she relaxed a little.

“Horses are very clever, they can sense when you’re scared. I promise you, he’s a sweetheart and I will hold you through the whole ordeal, but you have to calm down a little,” Kara whispered in her ear and once again, Cat got lost in the feeling of Kara’s presence. 

“Come on, I’ll help you on. Do you trust me?” Kara asked, before they heard Carter’s laugh in the background. 

Surprised, they both turned to face him and he simply shrugged before explaining, through his laughter “Come on, it was straight out of Aladdin, when he ask the princess if she trusts him to go with him on the flying carpet.”

“Very true but if you recall, the first time he asks her to trust him, they’re trying to escape a bunch of guards and he asks her to jump across buildings,” Kara replied with a smirk and Carter blinked a few times before looking thoughtful.

“Oh, right! She stole an apple for a kid and Aladdin drags her along as they run away …” Carter breathed, impressed someone in his entourage knew a Disney movie better than himself.

“Shall we?” Kara asked, turning back to face Cat and the journalist only nodded, not trusting her voice to not betray her fear.

Kara climbed atop of the horse first, moving to sit behind the saddle before holding out a hand for Cat to come up too. The journalist hesitated one last time but when Carter encouraged her, from his spot atop the fence of the paddock, she took another deep breath and placed her hand in Kara’s.

She found herself sitting in the center of the saddle, her legs dangling softly on each side of the horse and for a split second, she thought she was about to lose consciousness.   
The ground looked incredibly far away and she had never been comfortable with height, despite her office being at the very top of one of the highest building in National City and living in a penthouse in another skyscraper. 

Two arms, strong and safe, circled her waist and anchored her in the reality, forcing her to stay focused and to adjust her weight on top of the horse.

“Relax, I’ve got you,” Kara breathed against her ear and Cat almost forgot about her uncomfortable and scary position, her mind going wild with fantasies involving Kara’s breath, Kara’s lips.“Give me a second, I’m going to adjust the stirrups and then you will be able to put your feet in them, it will give you something to put your weight on and to help keep your balance,” Kara kept talking and every word was a caress against Cat’s skin, landing right onto the soft patch of sensitive skin beneath the earlobe. 

Cat felt the girl move and she had to actually blink a few times to realize what was happening. Kara had moved her right leg to access the strap allowing her to shorten the length of the stirrup and Cat almost shuddered when the girl’s hands came back on her thigh, guiding it until she was satisfied. 

“Here you go, all set. You ready?” Kara asked and Cat didn’t trust her voice so she only nodded, her skin still tingling underneath her jeans where Kara had put her hands. 

“We’re going to take it slow …” Kara started and she was about to add something when the characteristic sound of a camera going off started them both. Cat’s head snapped up and Kara’s arms instinctively tightened around her waist, holding her close.

Carter threw them a smug smile before raising up the camera again, taking another few shots.

“For posterity, you know,” he sassed before snapping another two pictures.

“Posterity will never see those shots, I can guarantee you that much,” Cat answered on the same tone, having snapped out of her lovestruck mood. 

Saved by the click of a camera, she thought. 

“That’s so sad, I’m sure you look fantastic, what a loss for the people who will never get a chance to see Cat Grant go all country girl …” Kara teased and Cat only rolled her eyes, a slight humpf escaping her lips as well.

“Alright, let’s get this rodeo started,” Kara said and she gently pressed her calves against the horse’s flanks, nugging him forward. 

Comet obeyed and started walking, making Cat capture Kara’s wrists in an iron-grip. 

“Relax, we’re only walking Cat, it’s slow and calm. Take a deep breath,” Kara said and Cat heard the gentle concern in her tone, low and soft but present. It appeased her a little and she released Kara’s hands, only to find that she didn’t know what to do with her own hands.

“Hold the reins with me,” Kara instructed, as if she had read Cat’s mind.

Hesitant but determined to try, Cat placed her fingers on the leather strips. A second later, Kara’s fingers were on hers, soft and oddly warm despite the incredibly low temperature, pushing her thumbs and bending her fingers to show her the right way to hold the reins. The contact burned and left Cat’s hands ablaze with incandescent trails that followed the path of Kara’s skin, wherever she touched hers. 

“You’re a natural,” Kara praised and Cat discerned the faint echo of pride in the girl’s voice, subtle as it was. “Now, sit up straight and relax. Horse riding is all about posture, you and the horse need to be one, you have to learn how to feel Comet underneath your weight, in between your legs …”

Cat swallowed thickly and tried as best as she could to focus on whatever Kara was now explaining, despite the unholy pictures that flashed across her mind since the girl’s last words.

“Can you sense the rhythm of his pace, how he moves his legs? You need to adapt and to place your own body accordingly, in order to never add more weight than necessary and to facilitate his gait,” Kara kept going and Cat felt hands on her hips, sturdy and firm and guiding her lower body into a regular sway that matched the animal’s slow walking motion. 

“Good, let’s see if you can manage a faster pace,” Kara said and Cat didn’t have the time to protest before Comet started walking a little faster, not really trotting yet but getting closer.   
Instinctively, Cat adapted and accelerated her sway.

“Well, would you look at that,” Kara teased but now the pride echoed distinctly in her tone, making Cat feel all warm on the inside. “You don’t even need my help anymore. Alright, let’s do a few tours and then we’ll try the next step.”

Cat opened her mouth but he familiar sound of the camera cut her protests short. Carter was smiling at her behind the Reflex and he moved his hand to give her a thumb up, apparently very happy with what he was seeing through the lens. 

“Looking good Mom, I’m gonna call you Calamity Cat from now on,” he said and Kara’s laugh filled the crisp and cold air of this summer day, swirling in the sunlight and then dying.   
Cat smiled despite her best efforts not to.

Without any warning, Comet started a slow trot and Cat’s grip on the reins tightened for a few seconds, before her body reacted on instinct and found its balance. Sitting straighter in the center of the saddle, she moved her whole being with the horse’s moves and followed every steps he made with her pelvis. 

“You know, I wonder if this is really your first time on a horse. You’re a better rider than some people I know who grew up on the back of a horse …” Kara wondered out loud and she sounded truly thoughtful. “I could jump off and you’d be perfectly fine by yourself.”

“Please don’t,” Cat whispered, not loud enough for Carter to hear her but a panicked edge coming back in her voice as she imagined herself alone on the horse.

“I won’t” Kara reassured her, moving her arms to hold Cat’s middle. The embrace was loose and gentle but sure enough to make Cat feel at ease again. 

At this point, the sound of the camera going off had become sort of a background noise, one they were all used to, including Comet. 

“How does it feel?” Kara asked next to Cat’s ear and the journalist shuddered a little, taken by surprise by the question. She tried to gather her thought to come up with an answer but Kara’s presence all around her, her warmth, her unique scent and the distracting breaths randomly landing on her skin were not helping.

“It feels … new, still a little scary but I can see why you love it so much,” Cat finally managed to reply. It did feel good, to move in harmony with such a strong and powerful animal, it was both exciting and soothing at once. 

“Yes, well. You’re trapped in a paddock, give me a few weeks and I’ll take you on a walk around the ranch and you’ll understand even better,” Kara promised and as much as Cat didn’t want to come back atop of a horse for her foreseeable future, she found that she loved the idea. 

“We’ll see about that,” she tempered, still not wanting to give in so easily to her own weakness and to Kara’s undeniable charms. 

No response came but she didn’t need to look above her shoulder to know Kara was smiling mischievously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> So, here's the latest update for this little AU. I genuinely love writing for this story and I hope you guys love it too! It's different, I know, and you're in for more surprises about those characters but hopefully, it's the good kind of unusual. I should probably remind everyone that I don't have any shred of schedule for this fic and I barely finished the next chapter so it's gonna take some time before I upload it ... I have two other big fics to work on ;)
> 
> You can come ask me stuff on tumblr, I'm **lost-your-memory** there !
> 
> _As always, reviews are nice_


	9. CHAPTER 8

“It better be a life or death matter, or I swear to God I will effectively kill you once I get there.”

Lois’s voice, heavy with sleep, came through the phone in one long grumble and Cat chuckled. She hadn’t thought about the timezone difference but now, she could hear her mistake in the murderous intent echoing in Lois’s tone and it only delighted her a little to know she had managed to pull her former lover and now most esteemed rival out of her sacrosanct slumber. 

“Are you laughing? I’m going to hang up and you better run because the moment I put a foot on my ranch you’re a dead woman, Grant,” Lois threatened and this time, she sounded very serious and Cat was clever enough not to provoke a freshly awoken Lois Lane, not when it was 3am in Metropolis.

“I … I forgot about the timezone difference, Lois. I’m sorry. It’s still 11pm to me and I … I could use someone to talk to,” Cat finally sighed, deciding to go against her better judgment and tell the truth.

She had a very complicated relationship with the older Lane but of all the people she could reach out to, she would be the less likely to judge and despite all of her many many flaws, Lois Lane was a very loyal friend. The sarcastic, bitchy and “I told you so” kind, sure, but she was there when it really counted and she never backed away from a hard talk.

“You have another Lane for that, Cat. Why can’t you just call Luce, honestly … alright, give me a second. Humpf ...” Cat heard the disgruntled answer and then the sound of ruffled sheet and muffled voices echoed in the background, before the tale-telling sound of footsteps moving on a hard wooden floor.

“Did I wake up Kansas?” Cat asked, feeling a little smug at the thought. 

“You did and he said to tell you to call back on the morning,” Lois replied and a muffled yawn followed, still loud enough for Cat to feel a little guilty.

“It is morning, where you are,” She countered with a predatory smile, figuring sarcasm and sass were more prudent than whatever softness she was now feeling for Lois and the man she liked to call Kansas.

“Shut up. I’m up and making coffee in order to listen to whatever drama you managed to get yourself into, so you better be nice.” Lois cut her off and Cat swallowed back another chuckle. The sound of the coffee machine starting to brew made her wince, before Lois asked in a slightly whiny voice “How did you even get in trouble in Wyoming, you’re in the middle of literally nowhere!”

“I’m Cat Grant,” Cat answered as if it was a good reason and she listened to Lois snicker on the other end of the line, smiling at the familiar noise.

She could easily imagine a disheveled Lois, standing in her flannel pyjamas, her messy hair pulled up in a loose ponytail and her eyes still half-closed from her interrupted night, snorting into her phone like a teenager listening to gossip.

“Right, that is actually very true. So, what’s up?” Lois asked and Cat knew her friend was pouring herself a indecent amount of coffee, taking a seat on one of the high stools near the counter island.

“I’m … Oh gosh, this is even worse than what I thought. I can’t even manage to say it out loud, for fuck’s sake!” Cat let out a frustrated grumble and Lois let out a slight whistle.

“Well well well! That bad, eh? Let me guess. It has something to do with the gorgeous blonde going around the ranch in that ridiculously hot cowgirl hat, with the boots, the horse, the flannel shirts and incredibly blue eyes …”

Cat gasped and then swallowed, trying to chase away the images of Kara riding a horse from her mind. She didn’t need Lois to add more fuel to her already running wild fantasies.

“How did you … did Lucy tell you something? How could you even guess that!?” Cat harrumphed, annoyed to be so easily read by her former lover, especially through a phone call only.

“I have eyes, Cat. Believe me, I know how hot Kara is … I was already in Metropolis when she arrived at the ranch but I had some … how can I put it, interesting dreams, after the few first times I saw her …” Lois trailed off and Cat swallowed against the lump in her throat, shocked by how strongly she felt about the way Lois was speaking about Kara.

Once upon a time, Cat would have been jealous, but about Lois. She had loved Lois Lane with every fiber of her uncompromising being and it had almost destroyed her, but today, she was feeling jealous about Kara.  
  
She wanted to be the only one to think about Kara that way and hearing her former lover speak about dreams and fantasies made her feel uneasy and wrong.

“Don’t worry Cat, it all went away the moment I met Clark. Who is, by the way, Kara’s cousin,” Lois added, as if she could read Cat’s mind. It took a second for the words to make all the way through Cat’s brain but she then realized what Lois had said.

“Kansas is Kara’s cousin? Well damn …” Cat said, actually impressed about that bit of information she didn’t know. She then joked “You couldn’t have the girl so you got the boy?”

“Well, it didn’t exactly go that way but basically, yes,” Lois answered and Cat instantly regretted her joke, feeling uneasy again at the very thought of Lois and Kara together.

“He showed up unannounced one summer, to second her around the ranch and he was so … so polite and eager to please, eager to help, very prudish too … you know me, I like to ruffle people’s feathers and he was too much of a farmer boy for me to resist. Believe it or not, I never managed to make him lose his temper and I think I fell in love with him because he was just … like that, you know? I couldn’t make him change, it was who he was and that was it. He stayed polite, kind and nice and I even discovered he could be funny, too. It doesn’t happen very often, sadly, but it’s worth it,” Lois explained and she sounded very fond indeed, her voice was soft and tender and Cat recognized it instantly, since she used to be on the receiving end.

“Kara wasn’t exactly thrilled to see us together at first, mostly because she doesn’t have the very best relationship with her cousin … She’s okay now, though. He doesn’t stop by often but when he does, they’re always happy to spend some time together. It has to be short because otherwise they fight, big time, but for a few days it’s alright,” Lois added and Cat’s curiosity was through the roof now.

“I didn’t even know they were cousins, I thought Alex was the only family she had left … How come they don’t have a good relationship?” Cat asked, trying to rein in  her journalistic instincts and pass it off as purely conversational. 

“Uh uh, I’m not telling you anything that isn’t mine to tell, Cat. Remember, I’m a journalist too, so don’t try the conversational bullshit with me,” Lois warned and Cat held back a groan, annoyed at how everyone was getting in her way when she wanted to know more about Kara.

“Come on, you have to give me something, Lois. She doesn’t speak a word about her past but I know it’s dark, darker than what she lets people think. It’s a wonder she’s such a bright and luminous girl in the first place …” Cat half-grumbled and half-wondered out loud, thinking back on the day where Kara beat her at poker, when Alex had said something about how snow had a particular effect on the younger Danvers. 

“Someone has a crush on little Danvers, I see,” Lois sassed but her tone wasn’t judgmental or disapproving, just amused.

“You said it yourself, you have eyes … so do I,” Cat defended herself, feeling a little exposed but knowing Lois was someone she could talk to. “Do you understand now, why I didn’t call your sister? From what I know, she spent more time around Kara than you, it would be a little … weird, I think …”

“Meh, Luce knows better. We actually have a bet on who’s going to make the first move, don’t let me down Cat,” Lois dropped as casually as if she was talking about the weather.

“I’m sorry, did you just say you have a bet running with your sister, on my personal life?” Cat repeated, suddenly feeling betrayed by the Lane sisters. She hadn’t expect Lucy to come talk about it to her sister, of all people.

“Relax, she didn’t tell me anything. I was the one to suggest it and she refused at first but I spiced the deal with a few things she couldn’t refuse …” Lois explained and Cat was momentarily distracted by how mischievous Lois sounded.

“Hm. Still,” Cat grumbled and she couldn’t shake of the feeling of betrayal, especially coming from Lucy. She had known Lois for ages now and indeed, the woman could never resist a bet  but she would have thought better of the younger sister.  
She made a mental note to talk about it directly with Lucy.

“Cat, be careful around Kara,” Lois suddenly said and gone were the sarcasm and the strands of slumber that had previously been weighting her voice. She was deadly serious and somehow protective, even. Cat didn’t know if it was a warning meant to keep her safe from the younger Danvers or to keep Kara safe from her.

“What do you mean?” she asked, slightly outraged by the insinuation she could hurt Kara. She did have a not so stellar record with past lovers and romanticl relationships but she had never intentionally hurt anyone before.  

Well, not directly and not in her personal life anyway because, as a journalist and now owner of her own newspapers, she did hurt a whole bunch of people but she liked to think it was always for the greater good.

“She’s different from all the people you are usually attracted to, Cat.” Lois explained and again, she was very serious. “She might look strong and indestructible but she’s broken inside and I think you already figured that much, since you called me at this unholy hour …” Cat smiled smugly but she didn’t interrupt Lois. “She’s a real lone wolf and getting attached to her … It’s like being Icarus, wanting to fly too close to the sun. Quite literally, she will burn your wings Cat and as much as I loathe to say this out loud, the world needs you to fly.” 

Cat was taken aback, both by the blunt warning and the unexpected kindness suddenly audible in Lois’s voice, as well as the compliment. In all the years they had known each other, Lois had never admitted out loud that Cat was excellent at her job, it was always hidden behind sarcasm and sassy jabs but tonight, it was a plain and simple compliment. 

“For you to admit that out loud, without any acid in your words, Kara really must be dangerous …” Cat whispered and she heard the committal hum on the other end of the line, as Lois approved quietly.

Cat bit her lower lips as she thought back on the young girl with the sunny smile, the brazen humor and the strong, safe arms and she sighed. 

Settling more comfortably in the rocking chair by the ancient phone, she confided to Lois “The thing is, she’s … she’s kind and she’s here, she’s making Carter laugh and she keeps him entertained and … well, she keeps me entertained as well. I don’t know how to stay away, not when she smiles like she does and the world suddenly doesn’t make any sense at all and yet all the sense in the world at once …”

“Believe me, I know exactly what you mean but she’s a world apart from yours, Cat. She’s this country girl that practically grew up on the back of a horse and she will never leave the wild plains and the hostile mountains of that god-forsaken state and you are very much the city lady, the digital CEO who likes her Noonan’s coffee burning hot and who can’t stand buildings without private elevators …” Lois gently reminded her and Cat had to admit she had a point.

She hated it but it was the simple truth. Despite the more than welcome company, life at the ranch was driving her crazy and she missed being at the center of the news, she missed the rushed life of the city, the neverending days and nights and the trepidation of it all.

“I know you don’t like to be tell what to do and I won’t, because I hate it too but I’m just telling you Cat, be careful. Don’t burn your wings, because one of you will end up hurt and I’m not even sure who’s going to be the most affected, in this case,” Lois added and this time, her voice sounded final, as if the topic was closed to her.

Cat sighed again and realized she didn’t want to talk more about it either. 

“Thanks Lois, for listening to me. I’m sorry I woke you up,” Cat finally said and she heard Lois laugh in the other side of the line.

“No you’re not,” Lois said and Cat smirked, because it was indeed true, she wasn’t the least bit sorry at all.

“See you in ten days, Lesser Lane,” Cat sassed and Lois only grumbled before hanging up without a goodbye, in true Lane fashion.

\---

Carter was quiet this morning, slowly munching away at a pile of homemade pancakes while waiting for Kara to come and pick him up so they could work around the ranch.

Cat was moving around the kitchen, sometimes stopping to sip at her coffee but she didn’t try to make any attempt at a conversation with her son, knowing he was lost in his thoughts and that it wouldn’t do her any good to try to know what they were about.

“Do you think if I am getting good enough at horse riding, Kara will let me come with her in the trip she’s going on with her sister?” Carter suddenly asked and Cat had to mobilize all of her forces to not answer no straight away.

She sipped at her coffee again, grimacing at how cold it had gotten since she’d made it but it gave her enough time to think of a reasonable answer, one that would not arouse her son’s anger right away. Or at least, that’s what she hoped.

“I don’t think so, sweetheart. I mean, it seems like a really long trip and they will be on the back of a horse all day long, it sounds exhausting. Is it something you want to do?” she tried, going to empty her cold coffee in the sink before making herself a new, freshly brewed and burning hot cup.

“I don’t know … I mean, I’m still sore after each lesson and I think a whole two weeks would kill me but … I like spending time with her and her sister and I feel sad at the thought of going two weeks without seeing any of them,” Carter sighed and Cat could totally sympathize with his feelings, since she was in the exact same predicament.

“I know sweetheart, I know but you don’t have to go spend two weeks on a horse just in order to spend time with them, you know. They have this whole trip planned and I think they’re excited to go together …” Cat gently explained and she came to put a glass of orange juice in front of Carter, who looked a bit dejected but he didn’t push the subject any further, to his mother’s relief.

“Morning sunshines!” Kara’s voice echoed as she pushed the entrance door open, with Rao on her heels.

Cat thought back on her conversation with Lois but it seemed already so distant, in the face of Kara’s ever bright smile and glittering blue eyes, the golden locks of her hair bouncing freeling on her shoulders as she came closer to the kitchen.

“Hi Kara, I’m almost done with breakfast,” Carter announced, waving her hello before focusing back on his plate, trying to hide the sadness in his tone and eyes.

“Hi kiddo, what’s wrong?” Kara asked, suddenly concerned, a frown slowly forming upon her eyes. She took a seat next to the young boy and she watched him with a sweet kind of worry, it made Cat’s heart ache a little.

“Nothing, I’m just a little tired that’s all,” Carter answered and Cat had to bit back a smile because it was such a Grant answer, right up to the phrasing.

“Bullshit, kiddo,” Kara said and Carter’s head snapped up to look at her, eyes wide from the surprise of hearing such a swear word from Kara’s mouth. Even Cat had to arch a brow at the unexpected cursing.

“Is it because I’m going away on a two week trip?” Kara asked and Carter pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes at her before switching to his mother’s face.

“Don’t look at me like that, I didn’t tell her anything. She guessed on her own, I swear,” Cat defended herself and it made her son pause for a second before he focused back on Kara, eyes still narrowed. 

“Come on, you’ve been closing up whenever I speak about it, I’m not stupid, I figured it out the moment I spoke about the trip, to both of you,” Kara shrugged and Carter pouted, before choosing to focus on his last pancakes.

“I’ll be gone about ten days, probably even less and when I get back, I’m taking the both of you on a picnic in one of the most beautiful spots around here. How does that sound?” Kara offered with a gentle smile and the hope in her eyes was sparkling like a thousand of stars, making Cat feel a little weak in the knees.

“Deal. Will be going there on a horse?” Carter asked, looking a little brightened up and already eating with more appetite.

“Of course, you’ll be riding Comet and I’ll take your mother with me on Krypton, if that’s okay with you?” Kara explained, directly looking at Cat for permission. 

The souvenirs of her riding lessons being still very fresh and vivid in her mind, Cat didn’t trust her voice right away and so she simply nodded and smiled, letting both her son and the younger Danvers know she was on board.

“Alright. I’ll wait for you to come back,” Carter agreed and he finished off his last pancake before jumping off the stool, already walking towards the entrance to put on his boots and coat.

“Is everything alright, Cat?” Kara asked and Cat almost wished the girl would go back to calling her Miss Grant because her name sounded incredibly soft and sweet, in Kara’s mouth, it was very distracting.

“Absolutely, thank you for giving him a reason to be patient until you return from your trip,” Cat thanked the younger Danvers, purposely leaving herself out of the equation.

“Does that mean you’re not? Looking forward to my return, I mean,” Kara teased and damn, that girl was too clever for Cat’s own good.

“You’re not gone yet,” was all Cat was willing to say and Kara seemed to understand because she only nodded and then moved to follow Carter.

The young boy and the cowgirl left shortly after and Cat let out a relieved sigh, wondering for how much longer she was going to be able to hide her blossoming feelings for the girl with the sunny smile and ocean blue eyes.  

\---

“ _Shall we dance, on a bright cloud of music shall we fly?_ ”

Cat’s head snapped up from the recipe she was following, eyes darting toward the door. She heard her son’s laugh but it did nothing to stop Kara’s voice to echo through the air as she kept singing, accurately following the rhythm and the tempo.

She had a clear voice, sweet and bright despite a tendency to hit the higher notes a little too much, and it was all very melodious. It made Cat smile and she watched with interest as the cowgirl made her entrance, followed by a laughing teenager.

“ _Shall we then say goodnight and mean goodbye_ _  
_ _Or perchance, when the last little star has left the sky”_  

Cat couldn’t help but swoon a little because Kara was obviously very happy to sing her heart out, unbothered by Carter’s attitude and not paying too much attention to Cat either. The younger Danvers removed her hat, her coat and her boots and then swung by the sink to wash her hand, still singing.

“ _Shall we still be together with our arms about each other_  
And shall you be my new romance ”  
  
She was swiping her hands on a towel but directly looking into Cat’s eyes as she sang the last bit and the exiled CEO felt her heart race a bit. It didn’t last long however, because Kara started to dance the waltz in the middle of the kitchen to entone the last part of the refrain.  
  
“ _On the clear understanding that this kind of thing can happen_ _  
_ _Shall we dance, shall we dance, shall we dance_ ” 

She stopped right in front of Carter, who was still laughing, with actual tears running down his cheeks and he was holding his side as if it was painful. Kara winked at him and then turned to face Cat, whose heart was still racing in her chest.

“Well, thank you for the musical break, I would have thought you would only known about cowboy movies, westerns and all ...” Cat managed to say and she didn’t miss the indignant face Kara made.

“You’re mean. I know plenty of other old movies, and the musical is one of my favorite genres,” Kara informed both Grants, and Carter laughed harder while his mother rolled her eyes.

“Of course it is, I could have guessed that much,” Cat sassed but her smile was soft and kind when she motioned for Kara to go set up the table. Carter tried to rein in his hilarity but to no end and he helped the cowgirl while still laughing. 

“Can I ask what prompted you to break into song? Carter is never going to get over it, by the look of things …” Cat said and she glanced at her son with a fond smile but a curious look in her eyes.

“I need no reason to break into song, you know, but today I have a valid one. There is a country night at Alex’s bar tonight and she invited us all, so I’m in the mood,” Kara explained, pouring water in every glass on the table before going back to the american fridge to fill back the pitcher.

“A country night …” Cat said and she couldn’t help it but to sound judgmental. Old habits were hard to kill, apparently. She saw the wounded look cross Kara’s baby blue eyes and she instantly regretted it. She instantly added “I think it’s going to be an interesting night then.”

That made Kara’s bright smile return and _oh damn_ , Cat thought as she got lost in the sparkling happy blue eyes.

“Wait, we’re going?” Carter suddenly asked, feeling the need to clarify things. “We’re going to a country night, at a country bar, in the middle of nowhere, BuffaloLand? I need to take a camera, this ought to be good.” 

“Oh, fancy language and all,” Kara snorted, smirking at the young boy but he was watching his mother with a curious look in the eyes.

“What, why are you looking at me like that?” Cat frowned, meeting her son’s eyes directly.

He shrugged and then simply said, “Nothing, I’m just surprised. After all … this is miles away from your kind of outing.”

“My kind of outing might be difficult to find because as you so eloquently put it, we are in the middle of nowhere, BuffaloLand … No fancy restaurants and  gala openings here, as you probably noticed already,” Cat sassed back and she saw the smirk bloom across her son’s face.

“You do know I actually live here, in the middle of nowhere, BuffaloLand?” Kara chimed in and she looked a little ruffled, annoyance subtly darkening her eyes and her smile was a little tight.

“Sorry Kara, this is just too good for me to pass up the occasion to tease mom,” Carter explained and Kara only shrugged before bringing back the water to the table. 

Cat didn’t know what to say and when it was obvious Kara wasn’t going to help her out, she decided to focus on finishing lunch.

“So what do we do at a country night, exactly?” Carter asked, taking a seat at the table and inviting Kara to do the same.

“You dance, you drink, you laugh … The point is to have a good time, you know,” Kara explained and her voice softened a little. “I think you will get along very well with Winn, he’s a real nerd around here. You will be able to talk video games, comic books and computer science with him, amongst a bunch of other stuff.”

“Really? That’s so cool! Did he grew up here?”

Kara nodded “Yes he did, it wasn’t always easy because he’s very smart, some kind of genius, and he never really fit in well but he now, he loves the countryside, the wild plains and the mountains, the freedom of the landscape.”

“What does he do here, then?” Carter wondered and Cat was curious to know the answer as well.

“Well, that’s the thing. He grew up here but now, he’s kind of famous, ever since he built-up his start-up with Lena Luthor,” Kara explained and at that, Cat gasped and stared at the cowgirl with wide eyes. 

“Your friend is Winslow Schott Junior?” There was disbelief in Cat’s voice as she remembered the nervous but good looking cowboy in Alex’s bar.

“Yeah, that’s him,” Kara nodded and even Carter recognized the name, because he was himself a huge nerd and he kept an interested eye on every scientific or high-tech innovation.  

Schott Corps was one of the biggest high-tech startups in the whole world and while Lena Luthor was the public face of it all, Winn was the mind behind all of their most groundbreaking inventions. His name was in every interview and Lena always talked about him rather fondly but he never gave any interviews himself and he was very careful to never have anything personal published, not even his picture. No one knew what he looked like and he had taken down any old images of his himself from the web, wanting to keep living off the grid.

“You have got to be kidding me. Your friend is number one on the list of the most wanted personalities to interview and you’re telling me he’s been living here this whole time, in the middle of nowhere? Does Lucy Lane know?” Cat suddenly started pacing, the perspective of the huge scoop dangling in front of her eyes making her feel restless and eager to start acting like the journalist she was.

“Mom …” Carter tried, tentatively. He was aware that Kara had blanched rather alarmingly and he knew it was his mother’s fault, he could feel the upcoming conflict build up in the sudden tension in the room. “Mom, there’s a reason he’s been living off the grid for so long.”

“You don’t understand, this is a huge discovery, I could overthrow every single one of my competitors with such a big scoop,” Cat kept rambling, unaware of Kara’s sudden silence and oblivious to the change of atmosphere in the room.

“Mom, mom please stop?” Carter pleaded, his eyes rapidly darting off between Kara and his mother. There was an urgency in his voice that made Cat pause and look up from her pacing spot in the kitchen. 

That’s when she saw the dark, dark look in Kara’s eyes. She had been called some pretty nasty names over the course of her journalistic career and she had seen some people get angry and mad at her, even trying to use their bare hands in their rage but the look in Kara’s eyes was ten times, a hundred times worse.  
It was full of betrayal, disgust, disappointment and such a raw anger, it made Cat feel incredibly dirty.  

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to jump on the information like this,” Cat tried to explain but Kara’s lips were forming a very tight line and her eyes were still burning with anger. “I’m sorry Kara, I won’t tell anything to anyone about Winn, I promise. I shouldn’t have acted up the way I have, he’s your friend and … I’m truly sorry.”

Apologizing had never been something she was good at and she lacked practice, with how proud and stubborn she was but she was slowly getting used to doing it, here in this god-forsaken state.  

Kara stayed quiet for a long while, studying Cat’s with her so ever dark eyes but eventually, the storm passed and the cowgirl slowly nodded, letting Cat know she was off the hook for now.

Cat swallowed hard against the lump in her throat and decided to focus on finishing lunch, still feeling incredibly guilty and dirty about her behavior and the way Kara had looked at her.

\---

“Lucy, I fucked up,” Cat started without preamble, the moment her friend picked up the phone.

“What did you do?” Lucy asked, sounding concerned but calm and Cat was grateful for the immediate attention and the absence of sarcasm about the unusual greeting. 

“Kara was telling Carter about this country night at Alex’s tonight and she then said he would get along pretty well with Winn … She then told us who Winn was and I …” Cat trailed off, wondering how she could explain her own behavior.

“Let me guess, you went into full journalistic mode and you rambled about the scoop, how big it was and you didn’t think for one second about the fact it’s Kara’s friend and it’s something she told you totally off the record …” Lucy guessed and this time, there was a disapproving nuance in her voice, one that was entirely deserved in Cat’s opinion.

“Exactly, yes. Oh Luce, the look she threw at me …” Cat shuddered at the very memory of it. “I never felt so dirty in my entire career and God only knows I’ve written and done some nasty things, in my quest for a scoop … It was so disappointed, so angry and disgusted …”

“Where is she now?” Lucy asked, sounding concerned and actually worried.

“She’s behind the stables with Carter, for his riding lesson,” Cat answered and she wished she could rewind time to offer Kara a better reaction than the one she had showed, she then wouldn’t feel that uneasy and wrong. 

“Cat, didn’t Alex warn you about how being a journalist wasn’t your job over there?” Lucy sounded effectively annoyed but it didn’t stop Cat from opening her mouth to protest.

She didn’t have the time to though, Lucy was already talking again. “I know what you’re going to say, once a journalist, always a journalist and you get your scoop wherever you can, yada yada yada ... but you have to understand ; this is Kara’s life. Winn is like a little brother to her and if I know you, and I do, you just threatened to expose him to the whole world,” Lucy firmly said and it did nothing to ease off the exiled journalist already crushing guilt.

“I know, I realized it too late and she was already all closed up. Carter was the one to call me out on it, once Kara left to go prepare the horse and he’s so right … He said I acted like a jerk and that he was ashamed of me,” Cat’s voice broke a little over the last bit but she knew she deserved it. After all, she, too, was ashamed of herself.

“Well, I hate to say this but he has a point and you need to make it up to Kara for being such a journalistic ass,” Lucy approved and Cat didn’t even gasp at her language, knowing the situation called for it. “Are you going to the country night?”

Cat swallowed again and nodded, before remembering Lucy couldn’t see her. “Yes, well I told her we would go but that was before everything happened … She stayed for lunch because Carter asked, begged even, her to but she didn’t talk to me at all ...”  

“You better show up then, and make it up to her. You’ll find a way I’m sure,” Lucy said and Cat wasn’t so sure of it but she decided to trust her friend. She heard a shuffling noise on the other end of the line, some papers being put in order before Lucy’s voice came through again, this time firm and scolding even.

“And Cat, remember. This is Kara’s life and you are not allowed to mess it up, not even for a fucking scoop. Look at where you ended up for your last one, putting your own son in danger … For the love of God Cat! For once in your life, stop being a journalist and be a decent human being.”

Lucy hung up on those last words, leaving a wounded Cat to deal with the aftermath of the very much needed wake-up call.

\---

“Promise me you will behave, mom. Kara was really upset after your little scene about her friend this morning,” Carter reminded his mother as they both exited Cat’s sport car.

“Yes, yes I know. Trust me, I know,” Cat retorted, a little snappishly but she was still haunted by Kara’s look and it threatened to make her feel uneasy again. Carter’s expression was stern and slightly judgmental but he didn’t push it and she sighed in relief.  
  
He was kind of handsome, in his not-quite-right cowboy outfit, with a well fitted pair of jeans, the collar of a flannel shirt sticking out beneath a thick navy blue pull-over and he was wearing an additional jacket, brown on the outside and doubled with white fur on the inside. Even the hat on his dark blond curls didn’t look as ridiculous as Cat thought it would.

“You look good, sweetheart,” Cat said and Carter smiled a little smugly, before nodding. 

“You’re not so bad yourself mom, but I think you really should have brought up a hat. After all, it is a country ball, in a country bar, in a country state …” The sass in his tone was light and it was meant as a joke, which was miles away from the sarcasm of his first few days at the Lane’s Ranch.

“I will not wear a cowboy hat, for as long as I am alive,” Cat muttered and she pressed the button to close her car. It beeped a few times before the lights went off, signalling that the vehicle was locked and then they both headed toward the bar’s entrance.

Some guitar notes were already dancing in the night well before they got to the door and Carter chuckled when he saw his mother’s annoyed expression.

“Come on mom, what did you expect? It is a country ball, in a country bar, in a country state … yada yada yada,” Carter pointed out with a very Grant hand flourish, before stepping onto the porch to push the doors and slip inside the bar without even looking back.

“No kidding”, Cat mumbled with a loud sigh.

She stayed outside for another few minutes, inhaling deeply in the crispy air of what didn’t feel like a summer night. The temperatures were low and some condensation was escaping her mouth with every breath she exhaled, forming a little cloud in front of her face before vanishing into nothing.

She noticed the music had changed, going from something ridiculously upbeat and optimistic to a country ballad with nostalgic accents but it did nothing to ease her tormented feelings.

She was so out of her element, out there in the wilderness of Wyoming.

She had always been that girl who constantly wanted to be right. It had started very early in her life, she would spend her nights reading some improbable books just to be able to correct her parents on something they would get wrong. It had driven her for the entirety of her academic career and it was what had dug out so many canyons in her relationships, making it hard for her to keep friends and love interests around. She had built a whole empire on the truth business, tracking the facts to expose the truth out there to the whole world and while she knew it was her best quality, she had never been so aware that it was also her worst flaw. Not until she was faced with Kara Danvers’ baby blue eyes, disgust and betrayal darkening the usually bright and clear color.

“Mom, are you coming or are you planning on staying out there for the whole night?” Carter called for her, standing in the doorframe with his hands on his hips. 

He looked so much like her, it was becoming more obvious with each passing day and she couldn’t be prouder. Even if it meant she was now on the receiving end of a glare she was used to throwing at him.

“I’m coming sweetheart, give me one more minute and I’ll be there,” Cat waved him off and he arched a skeptical brow before shrugging and going back inside.

_I could use a cigarette_ , she thought before remembering she had stopped smoking when Carter was born. She missed it sometimes but she usually substituted a nice tumblr of fine scotch for the nicotine she craved. Which she could have, if she stepped inside the bar, she suddenly realized.

One last sigh later, she was finally stepping onto the porch to enter Alex’s place.

\---

The bar looked different, at night.

There was no sunlight to warm up the wooden and leather furnitures and as a result, the place looked both dimmed and brightened at once. There were spotlights all over the dancefloor and the little stage on the back but the rest of the lighting was provided by low uplighters directly hanging over the tables and of which the halo barely reached the seats around it.

The bar-side was enlightened by a complex combination of inner lights beneath the racks of bottles on the background and low hangers, strategically put at equidistant spaces above the polished counter.

The bar looked different and Cat realized it wasn’t only because of the lighting.

It was crowded with people. There were cowboys in plaid shirts and women in high-waisted jeans or daring skirts and dresses, older people with younger kids, teenagers in groups or in couples and the ambiance was light and relaxed, thanks to a country band playing some very country songs up on the stage, which allowed people to dance and sway to the guitars.

Behind the bar, Alex was multitasking like a true bartender, moving too fast for Cat to be able to follow her as she served the patrons, changed a barrel of beer and added a few more bottles to the racks of whiskeys. She was helped by a tall man with broad shoulders and even broader biceps but with a kind smile and soulful dark eyes. His smile was genuine and soft and he was easily chatting with people as he filled the drinks and added up the orders.

Cat looked around and spotted Carter, sat at a table with the man she now recognized as Winslow Schott Junior and they seemed engrossed in a very intense discussion. A colorful drink was tucked in Carter’s hand and she figured it was a non-alcoholic drink but when she saw that the multi-millionaire tech guy was drinking the same thing, she frowned.

Making a beeline for the bar, she searched the crowd but didn’t see Kara. It made her feel uneasy and guilty again.  
  
She found an empty spot and leaned against the counter with both her elbows, waiting for one of the two bartenders to pay her some attention. It didn’t take long because before she had the time to consider what brand of alcohol she should try, Alex swung by in front of her.

“Hi Cat, what can I getcha?” the older Danvers asked and her tone was warm and inviting, bearing no trace of anger or judgment.

“Scotch, neat … Did you happen to talk to Kara, today?” Cat asked, tried to sound neutral but she could hear the anxious accent in her own voice. It made her wince and she had to swallow back a groan and a curse.

“I did,” Alex simply replied and she placed a glass in front of the CEO, grabbing a fine bottle on the rack behind her to fill it. Cat noticed it was an expensive kind of Scotch, not the mainstream brand that could be find in every bar. She also heard the answer and she guessed Alex didn’t want to be a part of her sister’s battle here.

“That’s a nice bottle, thank you. Is she going to be there tonight? I … I need to talk to her,” Cat sighed and this time, she looked up to meet Alex’s eyes. The older Danvers didn’t smile but she didn’t scowl either. She gave a patron next to Cat a bottle of beer before focusing back on the woman in front of her.

“Yes, you do need to talk to her. She’s in here somewhere, I saw her a few minutes ago, when she ordered the fruity cocktails for Carter and Winn,” Alex simply answered, throwing Cat a pointed look before starting to wander off. She was a few steps away when she paused and came back to face Cat.

“I should warn you, you are going to meet some famous people in there tonight. Don’t do it again,” Alex said and this time, her tone held a barely disguised threat in it.

Cat wanted to ask who was there but she had learned her lesson and she simply nodded, letting Alex go serve other patrons. She absentmindedly sipped at her drink and let out a low hum of appreciation when she felt the burn of the alcohol down her throat.

“You’re Cat Grant. I never thought I would see you in a place like this,” a deep and amused voice echoed in front of her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

The other bartender was standing on the other side of the counter, watching her curiously. He was very tall and Cat noticed he was even larger up close, imposing and impressive.

“Yes well, you and me both,” she snarked and it made him smile.

“I’m Hank. If you need another drink, just give me a sign and I’ll refill you,” he said and she was a little surprise by how simply it went. She had expected questions, remarks, comments on her life and fame but no, he was just content to be a bartender and while he recognized her, he didn’t take advantage of it. It was both unnerving and refreshing.

“Thank you,” she said and it took a few seconds but in the end, she returned his smile. He seemed content with it and like Alex before him, he walked away to refill some other patron’s drinks.

“Hi mom, have you seen Kara yet?” Carter stopped by next to her, hopping on the stool that had just been freed by a random cowboy.

“No Carter, I haven’t found her yet,” Cat answered, taking two more gulps of her drink before focusing on her son. He was giving her his signature disapproving look and she glared right back at him.

“What?” she dared him to answer.

“You’re drinking Scotch, almost bottom up. Don’t be drunk when you talk to her, alright? It won’t do any good, at this point …” Carter sighed toward the end, before grabbing the two cocktails Alex placed in front of him. 

“Thanks Alex! Winn says to put everything on his card for tonight, including mom’s drink. See ya!” He hopped off and away before Cat could catch him.

“Did he just say …” Cat started, dumbfounded and feeling uncomfortable, but Alex cut her off.

“Yes, that’s Winn for you,” Alex smirked and she gave Cat a wink before going off again. Cat stared at her Scotch, too taken aback to even think of something to reply.

“Cat Grant. Well I’ll be damned, of all the places in the world …”

The voice was low, raspy and it echoed in the air like a folkloric melody of an ancient time, old and new at once.

“Lena Luthor. The same could be said about you,” Cat replied with a smirk as she turned to see the billionaire take the stool Carter had just vacated.

“That is not quite true. You see, I’m  a regular around here, while you … well, you are like an alien, coming straight down from outer space.” Lena’s smile was pretty, bloody painted lips stretching in a thin line but Cat noticed it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Maybe,” Cat conceded with a slight shrug, marking the Scotch swirl in the bottom of her glass.

“Hi Lena, here’s your whiskey,” Alex swung by and put a glass in front of Lena, reinforcing the idea that the Luthor was indeed a regular. Cat didn’t like the ease  between the older Danvers and the younger Luthor; it made her feel left out, somehow.

“Thanks Alex,” Lena said and this time, the smile she gave the older Danvers did reach her eyes, making them sparkle with life as gold freckles of kindness swirled around the icy blue of her irises.

Cat took a few seconds to give the Luthor a once-over, noticing the pair of black leather riding boots wrapped around the woman’s calves, the fitted pair of black jeans and the soft flannel shirt, black and green with thin lines of white. The outfit was casual and she blended right in amongst the crowd of cowboys and cowgirls. It suited her. Cat was used to see the Luthor heiress wearing more corporate outfits, pencil skirts, high heels, blouses and tight jackets but she had to admit that Lena looked just as hot in this simple setting. 

She was about to say something else when a movement on the side of her eyes caught her attention and she saw the woman she came here to see approach.

“Here you are, Lee! I was looking for …” Kara’s voice stopped when she noticed Cat and her eyes darkened. She was smiling a moment before but now her lips were slightly pursed and she looked annoyed.

“Hi Kar’, I was just coming to grab a drink but then I noticed Miss Grant and I had to introduce myself. After all, we move in the same circles, back in National City,” Lena explained but Cat only had eyes for Kara.

The younger Danvers was wearing a pair of freshly polished black boots, a navy blue pair of pants that hugged her muscular legs in an almost indecent way and a light grey cashmere sweater that looked impossibly soft and warm, hanging low on her right shoulder. Her hair was freely falling around her face, honey blond curls bouncing off her shoulders like waves of sunlight and she was wearing some light makeup, making her look even more perfect under the dim light of the bar.

“So I’ve heard, yes. You regularly go out with Lucy but you’ve never met Cat once and it took her needing to lay low in the middle of nowhere for you two to actually meet ... “ Kara pointed out and she sounded as skeptical as she looked, eyebrows furrowed in something like doubt.

“Easy tiger,” Lena laughed and she gently rested a hand on Kara’s forearms, the gesture making Cat stare at it. She felt the nasty burn of jealousy tug at her stomach, making it drop entirely as she noticed how Kara relaxed under Lena’s touch. The Luthor heiress nodded and then continued, “We are still a world apart. I create and buy startups for a living and she’s running a newspaper, we would have gotten here eventually but we are both busy women.”

Cat couldn’t stop staring at Lena’s hand on Kara’s soft sweater, the pale skin still being a stark contrast with the light color of the clothing. 

“Right Miss Grant?” Lena asked, looking at the CEO with a slightly concerned gleam in her eyes. Cat had to shake her head and focus back on the woman’s face to be able to answer.

“Oh yes. Besides, I don’t run the interviews myself anymore, I have the whole company to run …” Cat answered, trying to keep the ice out of her tone but she could feel it drip from her eyes. 

“Oh, really. Like you wouldn’t have run Winn’s interview,” Kara sassed and her eyes were still dark with anger and betrayal.

“Kara, I …” Cat tried but someone called for Kara and the girl waved her off, going back into the crowd to see who had just called after her. She disappeared in a few seconds.

Cat let out a frustrated sigh, annoyed at herself and at the Luthor still sitting next to her.

“I should probably try to go talk to her,” Lena said and she sounded gentle, which made things even worse on Cat’s side. She decided she didn’t like Lena Luthor one bit and she even managed to convince herself it didn’t have anything to do with the sweet names or the gentle touches.

“You do that,” Cat sassed and Lena left the stool, taking her glass with her before disappearing as well.

“Well, that went well,” Alex chimed in and Cat groaned out loud. She just wanted to go home already, she didn’t want to deal with any more Danvers or Luthor people tonight.

“You weren’t kidding when I said I would meet more famous people … I would have appreciated a little heads up,” Cat grumbled and Alex shrugged.

“I did warn you, I didn’t have to tell you who exactly,” she replied, refilling Cat’s glass with the same Scotch as before. Cat thanked her and drank her tumbler in one fluid movement. Alex narrowed her eyes but gave her another few fingers of alcohol.

“Give me your keys,” Alex asked and Cat arched a brow. “Come on, you have a kid and I am not above jumping on you to take them off your body. Give me your keys and if you pass the breathalyzer at the end of the night, then I’ll give them back to you. If not, we’ll find a solution.”

Cat wanted to protest but the look in Alex’s eyes told her she meant every word of it. She would take them right off her so Cat reluctantly chose to give them away. She placed the car key on the counter and Alex snatched them with a satisfied nod.

“Now, you enjoy your drinks,” Alex said and she gave Cat another glass of Scotch before wandering off.

“Easier said than done,” Cat grumbled and she lost herself in the nuance of the beverage, watching the light swirl the amber and honey strands at the bottom of the glass.

“I know you’re sorry,” Kara’s voice suddenly echoed nearby and Cat looked up from her drink. Kara was taking the stool next to hers and she wondered how many more people were going to show up to claim it as theirs. “I know you’re sorry and I’m trying to … I’m trying to let it go.”

Kara was obviously struggling a little with words and Cat was about to say something when Kara raised a finger, efficiently quieting her.

“I am … I am very protective of my life here, of my friends and I am not used to letting new people in. Winn is like a little brother to me and I panicked when you suddenly realized who he was and then I felt … I felt so betrayed, when you told me you wanted to conduct an interview on him, expose his identity to the whole world, when you wanted to reveal where he was living. This is my life, Cat,” Kara explained and Alex placed a sugary cocktail in front of her sister before leaving again, as quietly as she came. 

“I know you’re a journalist and I know it’s in your blood or something. I actually had the exact same problem with Lois once, and it took her far more time than you to apologize. I just … I thought you would react differently.” Cat felt her heart break at how disappointed Kara sounded. She wished, not for the first time, that she could go back in time and fix it.

“Anyway, I know you are sorry and I accept your apology but please, please don’t do this again,” Kara said and she looked right into Cat’s eyes, who only nodded. She put all of her heart in the gesture, knowing Kara would read it in her eyes, because she didn’t want to disappoint the girl ever again. It worked because next, Kara was smiling like if everything was alright again and Cat felt the familiar warmth come back to her body.

“Now, do you want to meet the rest of my friends? Winn already adopted Carter by the way, I thought you should know,” Kara teased and Cat smiled, feeling relieved.

“Of course he did, once a geek, always a geek,” she said and she finished her drink. Hank came and made a move to refill her glass but she shook her head and asked for a club soda instead. He smiled and gave her what she asked for.

Turning to face Kara again, she hesitated a few second before finally asking, “What made you come and talk to me? I mean, I’m so grateful you did but I actually came here to do that, to apologize again and to try to make it up to you … I’m just, surprised you made the first move here.”

Kara looked at her sister, who was walking along the bar, pouring alcohol into glasses, smiling at the men and flirting with the women, joking around with Hank and then changing barrels of beers, carrying boxes of bottles and then doing it all over again with a smile.  

“Alex pointed out to me that I was too much of a lone wolf and that I should try to put myself in someone else’s shoes sometimes. She was the one to remind me Lois pulled the exact same reaction when I accidentally told her who Winn was.” Kara paused for a few seconds and then smiled, kindly. Cat wondered how bad it had been with Lois but she wasn’t about to ask, not when she felt she was still in the doghouse despite Kara’s obvious forgiveness.  “You are in some kind of forced exile and you miss your job, I can understand that. Beside, you didn’t actually expose Winn and now I know you won’t, so it’s okay.”

Cat took a sip of her drink and grimaced when she realized it wasn’t alcohol. It made Kara’s eyes gleam with amusement but she didn’t say anything so Cat took the opportunity to talk.

“It is not okay, I hurt you and I truly am sorry. You are right, it is your life and I have no right to mess it up under the pretense that I am a journalist. I am in this current situation for the exact same reason you were mad at me but while you are mature enough to talk it out like an adult, I was too obsessed with the truth and I put my son in danger.”

She took a breath and noticed Kara didn’t look at her with any judgment in her eyes. If anything, she simply looked a little worried but it wasn’t pity, just genuine concern for the boy and Cat dared to hope, for her too. 

She kept speaking, “I really do need to learn how to stop jumping on every scoop that comes my way. I am pretty sure it won’t be easy and that I will have some mishaps in the process but I promise you I will try my very best.”  

Kara nodded and then smiled. Cat realized she had missed it, even though it hadn’t been twenty-four hours yet since she last saw the girl smile. 

“Alright Cat, as long as you try, I will try to not react to strongly as well. Now, how about you come meet the rest of my friends?” The younger Danvers offered, standing up and instinctively extending a hand for Cat to take it.

It took a few seconds but eventually, Cat placed her hand in Kara’s and she let the cowgirl drag her across the crowd, desperately trying not to pay attention to how strong and yet soft Kara’s fingers felt around her owns.

\---

Two hours later, she was back on alcoholic drinks and her son was worryingly watching her as she drank her fifth Scotch in a row.

“Mom? Maybe you could … I don’t know, slow down on the alcohol?” he finally dared to ask when Alex came to drop the bottle at their table.

“Don’t worry kiddo, I have the keys to the car, she won’t be driving anywhere tonight,” Alex told him and he relaxed a little bit but he kept a watchful eye on his mother, who was staring at something else entirely. 

On the dancefloor, gently swaying to the sound of a tragic country ballad about whiskey and people dying, Lena and Kara were wrapped in each other’s arms. Lena was smaller and her cheek was resting against the younger Danvers’ chest while Kara had her chin atop the Luthor’s head and the scene was very romantic, despite the desperate lyrics and the crying guitars.

“They’re awfully cosy, those two,” Carter whispered to Winn after having looked back and forth between the couple and his mother.

“Oh yeah, always have been. I think Lena was Kara’s highschool sweetheart, where she grew up with Alex …” the billionaire explained without looking up from his smartphone, still engrossed in the video game Carter told him about hours ago.

“Was? It doesn’t look like it’s over,” Carter pointed at the two women dancing and Winn glanced up before chuckling.

“It’s kind of an on and off thing with them, you know. Lena lives in National City and if it wasn’t for Kara, she wouldn’t come back here. Not even for me, we do most of the business work online anyway,” Winn explained and Carter looked at his mother, wondering if she was listening. It didn’t look like it, if the glassy eyes and the now empty bottle of Scotch was anything to go by. He sighed and then turned to face Winn again.

“How about Alex in all of this? She’s here all the time, doesn’t it bother her, that weird relationship?” he wondered out loud and Winn paused his game to look at him in the eyes. He had such kind and gentle eyes, a little shy even. 

“You tell me, you live at the Lane ranch … You saw Lucy, right? How is their relationship different than Kara and Lena’s?” Winn countered and Carter groaned, cursing himself for having not remembered that fact.

“Listen, they are all grown up, or so I’ve been told, let them deal with their own mess. It works for this one too, by the way,” Winn gestured toward Cat, who didn’t even notice, with a knowing look in his eyes.

“I know, I know, but she looks so … miserable,” Carter sighed, making sure his mother didn’t hear him before waving at Alex to have one more cocktail, which the older Danvers brought in a matter of seconds. 

“Alright Cat, no more alcohol for you. Club sodas only and I’ll be driving you home after I close,” Alex gently put a hand atop the CEO’s shoulder to make her look up from the dancefloor.  
  
“Sure, whatever you say,” Cat slurred and Carter winced and closed his eyes. Cat seemed to realize she was too drunk because she sighed too and nodded at Alex, looking a little apologetic and sheepish.

“Alright then,” Alex nodded and then moved away, walking easily amongst her own crowd. Hank was still managing the bar but the patrons were slowly beginning to leave. The songs were all soft and sweet now and the couples on the dancefloor looked content with the slow songs.

“It was very nice to meet you, Winslow,” Cat finally said, turning to face both her son and the billionaire. Winn turned off his phone screen and looked up to smile at Cat.

“Pleasure’s all mine, Miss Grant. I’m a big fan of your work, for yours is one of the few newspapers I actually still read, not corrupted by money or politics,” Winn explained and Cat smiled at him, albeit a little drunkenly. 

“Well, thank you for the kind words. I mean, being a journalist can be a bitch at a time but I am good at it,” Cat said and she was obviously trying to sound articulate, to counter the effects of the alcohol. “I mean, you are a billionaire millennial, that’s kind of impressive too.”

“Oh gosh, mom,” Carter groaned, embarrassed but Winn only laughed and nodded along. 

“That’s fine buddy, she’s actually right. One does what they have to do, Miss Grant. I mean, some of the credits goes to Lena but it’s my design, my inventions and my startup,” Winn explained and he quickly realized mentioning Lena had been a mistake. Cat’s eyes were dark again and she reached for the Scotch but only to find it empty.

“I think you have had quite enough for tonight, Miss Grant,” Kara’s voice suddenly chimed in and everyone looked up to see both Kara and Lena standing next to their table, looking a little breathless but their eyes sparkling with joy.

“Says the cowgirl millennial,” Cat muttered and Kara arched an amused brow. Lena chuckled and Cat glared at her but the alcohol removed some of its sharpness and she only looked a little lost.

“Lee, would you be alright to hitch a ride with Winn? I’m going to take both Grants home tonight,” Kara said and Cat was about to protest when Carter jumped on the opportunity.

“Really? Oh thank you Kara, Alex said she would take us home but I’m feeling exhausted and she won’t be able to do it before closing …” he said, faking a very convincing yawn to drive his point across.

“It’s fine, Winn will take me home. See you tomorrow?” Lena asked and she stood on her toes to kiss Kara’s cheek, making the younger Danvers smile and Cat groan.

“See you tomorrow Lee, thank you for coming tonight,” Kara answered and she placed a kiss on her friend’s forehead. “Alright you two, get your things, I’m driving you home.”

Carter jumped on his feet and helped his mother up while Kara went in search of Alex to get the keys of Cat’s car. When she came back a few minutes later with her coat, she noticed how unbalanced Cat looked and she automatically grabbed her arms to steady her.

“Here you go, all set. Now let’s go find your car,” Kara invited Carter to follow them, waving Lena and Winn as they moved away.

“I’m fine,” Cat protested and she tried to get rid of Kara’s grip on her arms but the cowgirl didn’t let go, steering her towards the doors and then down the porch, until she was finally seated in the passenger spot in her own car.

“Buckle up Kiddo, I won’t start the engine until your belt is on,” Kara warned and Carter obeyed without a fuss.

After a few tries, some loud protesting from Cat and some unwanted advice from Carter, Kara finally got the hang of the car and took the little family back to the Midvale Ranch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys
> 
> Before you all start throwing words at me, please listen to what I have to say here. This is not a Supercorp story, FAR FROM IT and you just have to trust that I will handle it properly. For exemple, if you pay close attention to detail you might notice it's somehow platonic, despite the apparent intimacy.
> 
> Now, I am aware I didn't put any warning in the tags because it's not something I am going to drag in but yes, Lena Luthor is an important person in Kara's life and she isn't going anywhere. If I have to, I will put up a warning but I genuinely don't see the point.
> 
> That being said ... This was a pretty long update and a lot happened in there. You should settle in and hold onto something because this is going to be such a bumpy road, from now on. Jealous!Cat isn't pretty and Kara's still a little wounded, so stick around to see what happens next?
> 
> I'm on tumblr, if you want to follow the updates on this story (and the others), at **lost-your-memory**
> 
>  
> 
> _As always, reviews are nice_  
> 


	10. CHAPTER 9

“You don’t drive often now, do you?” Carter said as he stumbled out of the car, taking a deep breath into the freezing cold air of the night to steady himself.

Kara killed the engine and exited the car before walking around to help a half-asleep Cat to get out. 

“Well, I only have an old pick-up truck and it’s an easy car, nowhere near as powerful and jumpy as this one is,” Kara grumbled before opening the passenger door and reaching in to unbuckle Cat’s belt. 

“Yeah, I figured that much,” Carter snorted and took a few more breaths, to chase away the feeling of nausea that still floated unpleasantly in his stomach. 

Kara gently helped Cat out of the car and slipped an arm around the woman’s waist, holding her tight. She closed the door and locked the car before guiding them towards the ranch entrance, with Carter following closely.

“She usually doesn’t drink so much,” the teenager offered, a little sheepishly, as he took the keys Kara was handling him to unlock and push the door wide open. “Well, that’s not exactly true but let’s say she’s usually better at handling it.”

Kara chuckled lightly as she steered Cat to the stairs. At the bottom of them however, she realized the woman was incapable of climbing them by herself and they weren’t wide enough for the both of them. Cat was practically asleep against her flank, barely putting one foot in front of the other and there was no way she would make it to the top, not even if Kara pushed her from behind.

With a sigh, Kara glanced above her shoulder to see Carter watching her closely. She gave him a small smile and then focused on the sleepy woman next to her. Cat had her eyes closed and her head was more or less lolling against Kara’s shoulder. She was totally oblivious to the whole situation. Kara hesitated for a few seconds before squeezing Cat’s forearm, trying to get her attention.

“Cat? I’m going to carry you upstairs, is that alright with you?” Kara asked but she only got a groan in response. She figured she could take that as a yes.

She was careful but firm when she tipped Cat in her arms, bridal-style.

Instinctively, Cat threw her arms around Kara’s neck and held on, making Kara wonder if she was truly as asleep as she looked. She smelled like Scotch and spices, something woody and heady that rendered Kara’s senses dizzy for a few seconds. She then focused and tackled the stairs, one step at a time as she was being very cautious, not wanting Cat’s head or feet to bump into the wall or the railing. 

Carter followed them after a few beats and when he realized Kara didn’t know which one of the rooms was Cat’s, he pointed at the right door.

“Here, that’s her room.”

He moved to open it for her, since she had her hands full. 

“Thanks buddy,” Kara absentmindedly answered, before slowly inserting herself through the door frame, making sure not to jostle Cat while doing so. Carter turned on the bed lamp on his mother’s favorite side of the bed and pushed back the covers, so that Kara could lay his mother down without struggling too much.

Kara was very gentle, he noticed. She made sure Cat’s head found the center of the pillow, before lowering her whole body into the mattress, making sure her back wasn’t bent or that her feet didn’t fall and dangle from the bed’s edge. She was soft and tender, taking the time to remove Cat’s shoes before pushing the covers back up onto Cat’s body. He felt a little uneasy, a little guilty, as if this little scene was something he shouldn’t have witnessed. 

He was about to say something when he noticed Kara was in the bathroom. She came back with a glass of water and put it on the nightstand, along with two pills.

“She’s going to need some aspirin tomorrow morning, trust me,” Kara explained before turning off the lamp and gently ushering Carter out. They followed the ray of light coming from outside the bedroom’s door and Kara closed it behind them.

“Alright, do you need anything Carter?” 

Carter blinked as Kara turned to face him. She looked alert and calm, a soft smile tugging at her lips as she seemed to wait for him to answer.

“Oh, no thanks, I’m good. I’m tired, so I’m going to bed. Do we have a lesson tomorrow?”

Kara nodded “Yes, we do. I’ll be picking you up around 8:30AM, I need your help with the fence at the very end of the domain so we’ll go with the pick-up. Then, in the afternoon, I’ll finish teaching you some of the basics and who knows, I might even take you for a ride across the pens, to see how you do outside of the paddock.”

Carter beamed at her before yawning, rather loudly. Kara laughed and then waved him off.

“Go to sleep buddy. I’ll lock the door on my way out. See you tomorrow!”

“Thanks Kara, see you tomorrow,” Carter replied as he turned around to go to his room.  
He heard Kara go down the stairs but by the time she reached the door and exited the ranch house, he had already stripped off his clothes and put on pyjamas. By the time Kara reached her own place, greeted by a very happy Rao, he was already fast-asleep.

\---

“Morning sunshine!”

Cat winced, groaned and then turned a level glare at Kara, who didn’t seem impressed at all. If anything, she looked positively smug and totally amused.

“That must be quite the hangover then. Did the aspirin help?” 

Kara made her way towards the kitchen, where Cat was sitting at the counter island with her head in her hands, obviously trying to deal with her current state. 

“Here, try this,” Kara offered as she placed a to-go cup of what smelled like coffee in front of Cat. 

“Oh gosh yes,” Cat moaned after a few sips, her features relaxing a little. “And yes, the aspirin did help a little. Thank you.”

Cat didn’t add anything and Kara didn’t push. She figured that maybe, Cat didn’t remember everything about the previous evening and she would not be the one to refresh her memory. They sat in companionable silence for a while, with Cat nursing her coffee and Kara sipping at her own drink while reading the newspaper she brought with her. 

When Rao stood up from where he was previously sleeping on his rug, they both looked up to see Carter sauntering down the rest of the stairs.

“Hi buddy,” Kara greeted him with a warm smile.

“Good morning Sweetheart,” Cat smiled as well.

“Whoa mom, how are you even up? I was so sure you’d sleep in until at least eleven …” Carter asked as he approached them, after giving a few caresses to a needy Rao. 

Cat winced again and Carter smiled smugly. 

“Come on kid, leave her alone. She’s up and about … well, mostly,” Kara smirked before moving around the kitchen to pull out some ingredients from the fridge, to grab a pan and a few bowls. 

“What are you doing?” Cat asked and she hopped off of her stool to go pat Kara’s hands away, shooing her out of the kitchen. “You are not allowed in the kitchen for anything other than making coffee, Luce’s orders. I’ll make breakfast, now go sit next to my son.” 

Kara pouted but obeyed all the same, taking a seat next to the amused teenager.

“Did anyone ever tell you your mom is kinda bossy?” 

“Oh Kara. Haven’t you learned anything yet? She ain’t bossy, she’s the boss!” Carter laughed, and he gently punched Kara in the shoulder to mess with her. 

“Alright, fair enough I guess,” Kara smirked and when she met Cat’s eyes, she winked. 

Cat didn’t return her wink and for a few seconds, she almost looked sad. Kara frowned but before she could say anything, Cat turned around and got started on making the pancake batter. 

Carter, who didn’t miss a second of the scene, chose to stay quiet and he simply stole Kara’s newspaper to have a look at the news. He quickly found an article about Winn’s startup and lost himself in his reading.

\---

Cat was staring into nothing, having long forgotten about the book she was supposed to be reading.

She hadn’t feel that miserable in a long, long time and if she had the courage to analyse exactly how long, she would probably realize that it was when she had to divorce Carter’s father after finding out how much of a cheater he was. Which was about twelve years ago.

She knew it was absolutely ridiculous, to feel that affected by the whole situation. She was twice Kara’s age, she was the very incarnation of the city woman that didn’t like nature that much and she was also a strong, independent woman. She didn’t need anyone but somehow, Kara’s presence had thrown her off balance. She had found herself longing for the shared looks, the bubbling smiles, the random rambles at any given moment. She had grown accustomed to Kara’s bright entrance every mornings, her gentle banter with Carter and the way he would smile and happily take to her. She truly enjoyed the air of family they had, during lunches, during dinner and whenever they would spend time together. 

She didn’t even realize she had started on hoping, not until she saw Kara smile and dance in someone else’s arms. Oh, the burning and devastating blaze of her own jealousy was everything she had needed to realize how doomed she was, hence the whole alcohol fiasco.

Only she hadn’t been drunk enough not to feel Kara lift her up to carry her upstairs. She could still remember the scent of Kara’s skin, just above the collarbone, something like sunlight and earth, with a hint of flowers. She remembered all too well how warm and soft Kara’s body had felt against her own, as she was being held like something precious, something valuable. The muscles of Kara’s arms flexing underneath her weight, showing raw strength that had made her feel hot and bothered.

Most of all, she remember how gentle and caring Kara had been when she lay her down on the bed. It had been so tender and sweet that Cat had almost reached out to ask Kara to stay.  
She didn’t though, and so Cat’s alcoholized dreams made it up with all of her hopeless fantasies, Kara falling on top of her, a curtain of soft blonde curls hiding them from the rest of the world. Kara’s hands, strong and yet soft, coursing along her naked skin, exploring every inch of her body, tracing out the map of her sharp bones and discovering the rare curves. Kara’s skin, warm and smooth, pressed against her own and she had dreamed of indecent moans and raw screams, soft laughter and loving words.

When she woke up with a jolt at 7am, she was breathless and incredibly turned on for a few seconds, before the hangover hit her like a train and with it, all the memories of the previous evening.

A single tear escaped her left eye and she angrily wiped it away.

The phone next to the entrance suddenly started to ring, making her jump a little. She cursed under her breath before standing up from the couch.

“Hello?”

“Hi Cat,” Luce’s voice came through, calm despite the obvious tiredness. 

“Oh hello Darling, how are you? How is life on the coast?” Cat sat down on the rocking chair, pulling the blanket around her knees and settling in for the call.

“So far so good, nothing out of the ordinary. It’s exhausting, running your empire. Anyway, how are you? How is life in the middle of nowhere treating you?” Lucy sounded exhausted but Cat chose not to mention it. She had built the empire by herself and she thrived on the constant adrenaline rush, despite how many times she complained about the so-called incompetent people she had to boss around. 

“It’s … well,” Cat paused and she wondered how she could explain the situation for Lucy to understand it. How could she tell her best friend that she had a hopeless crush on a girl far too young and miles away from her lifestyle? How could she put words on how miserable she felt since she had woken up this morning? 

“I talked to Alex,” Lucy offered, when it was clear Cat didn’t have the first clue of how to answer. Cat tensed and gritted her teeth, not sure what the older Danvers told Lucy. “She said you had a rough time yesterday.”

Cat scoffed but then she realized it was nothing but the truth. She wondered if Alex had also spoken of Lena, of the many drinks Cat had emptied in a row, of her obvious jealousy. 

“That’s one way to put it,” Cat opted for non-committal.

“How’s that crush of yours?” Lucy attacked next and Cat sighed. She should have seen it coming. The Lane sisters didn’t beat around the bush. They never did. 

“Too strong for my liking. It’s ridiculous, honestly! She’s so young and bright and she does everything right without even trying. She’s so easy to be around that I actually seek her out and when she’s not here, I miss her. Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?” Cat growled the last question, rolling her eyes at the same time.

“Yeah, I do. That’s a Danvers sister for you honey, I’m not even surprised. They totally should come up with a warning sign …” Lucy sighed and there was no judgment in her tone, no pity either, only understanding. Cat felt slightly better, only slightly.

“She was dancing with Lena Luthor, of all the people on earth. Sure, I’ve seen the Luthor heiress a few times but somehow, she was even prettier yesterday, dancing with Kara as if the entire world didn’t matter. Then Winn said something about them being an item and …” Cat stopped in her tracks, not wanting to voice how jealous it had made her.

“Oh yeah, Lena was Kara’s highschool sweetheart. They were together for a long time, until life happened and they went their separate ways. Lena found herself at the head of her family’s empire and Kara continued to live her life with us,” Lucy explained and she didn’t seem to mind that the words were twisting a knife in Cat’s wounds. 

“It’s a small circle, you know … Kara was the one to introduce Winn to Lena and they built one of the most successful business in the entire world. However, as far as I know, Kara and Lena aren’t a couple anymore. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure Lena is seeing her deputy CEO, romantically. I mean, they keep it on the down low because it would create far too many problems for LCorp but the last time I talked to Lena over lunch, she was talking about taking Sam for a romantic getaway …”

Cat arched a brow and then frowned, trying to remember the name of the second in command at LCorp. She’d never paid much attention to that company, a mistake she knew she should rectify, but her recently discovered feelings towards the actual CEO didn’t help her motivation. 

“Samantha Arias, if you’re trying to remember the name. A pretty woman really, rather tall, with brown eyes and brown hair, a very sweet smile and she has a daughter, a little younger than Carter I think ...” Lucy elaborated and Cat instantly placed the woman, having seen her a few times at charity galas or press events. 

“Yes, I remember her. Very kind, a little awkward sometimes but she did an interview once for CatCo and I remember she was very interesting and rather unapologetic about her opinions …” Cat agreed.

“Yes exactly. They’ve been seeing each other for a while now, so whatever you saw between Kara and Lena last night was nothing else than two old friends being overly affectionate with each other, I can promise you that.”

Lucy was speaking softly and slowly, as if she knew Cat needed time to absorb and process the words. Which was true, because Cat remembered how Lena had looked beautiful and at peace in between Kara’s arms and she had a hard time believing that this woman wasn’t at least a little bit in love with her old highschool sweetheart. 

“I don’t know, Luce. I screwed up, big time, with the Winn situation so I basically made a fool of myself yesterday,” Cat sighed, not even bothering with finding other terms to make it sound a little better. She had been a total fool all day long and she knew it, she didn’t see the point in hiding it from her best friend.

“Well, did you apologize?” 

“I did and she said she forgave me, but I …”

“Cat. If she said she forgave you, then you’re good. Trust me, that girl can hold a grudge, even if she doesn’t look like she can. When she found out I was dating Alex, she gave me and her sister the cold shoulder treatment for months …” Lucy chuckled and Cat arched a brow, surprised to hear about that story.

“How exactly did she find out? I have a feeling it was the heart of the problem back then …” Cat smirked, teasing her friend.

“I …uh, well …” Lucy stuttered a little but she quickly found her feet again. “You know what, I’m not telling you that. Let’s just say she saw a little bit too much and it would have been preferable to have an open conversation before …” 

“Oh gosh, she walked in on you, didn’t she?” Cat was openly laughing this time, picturing a blushing Kara running away from a scene she could never get rid of in her mind. 

“Shut up. Go do something about that crush of yours,” Lucy groaned but Cat head the smile in her friend’s voice and she knew she didn’t mean it seriously. “Where is she anyway?”

“She’s with Carter, they went to fix part of the fence. Carter is really having fun, it’s so refreshing to see him so happy and open …” Cat sighed, knowing they will both have a hard time dealing with Kara’s absence when she leaves for her trip. 

“Oh, so you’re nursing your hangover alone then?” Lucy teased and Cat gasped. 

“Alex is a traitor,” Cat groaned but she couldn’t blame the older Danvers for having given her girlfriend a heads up on the situation. If anything, she was actually grateful for it.

“She’s not, she was actually concerned about you when she called me,” Lucy told her and Cat felt an unexpected surge of affection for the older Danvers. 

“That’s … considerate of her, ” Cat said, feigning like she was unimpressed. She didn’t want Lucy to think she had a soft spot for both Danvers girls, which she totally had. 

“Cut the crap, you like her,” Lucy retorted and Cat smiled. She definitely couldn’t lie to any of the Lane sisters. 

“Alright, fine, I do like her. Happy now? Were you calling for a reason or was it just to annoy me?” Cat sassed, knowing Lucy would still hear the thank you she couldn’t bring herself to say just yet. 

“The reason was to annoy you, honey, as always!” Lucy sassed back and Cat bit back a chuckle. She felt infinitely better now than at the beginning of the call.

“Talk you soon, Greater Lane,” Cat finally said before she hung up. 

When she sat back on the couch, she picked up her book and absorbed herself in the story, a gentle smile floating across her lips.

\---

“Is everything alright?”

Kara’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she blinked a few times before focusing on the girl, who was sitting on a chair next to the couch where Carter was sprawled on his front. He was even snoring a little from time to time. 

“Sorry, what?” Cat asked, absentmindedly, as she turned an unread page from her book. 

Dinner had been such a lovely affair, with Carter and Kara explaining everything about the little ride they took across the domain, both perched atop their respective horses. Carter had been rambling on and on, only interrupting himself to eat something or drink some water, which gave Kara the opportunity to add a few details but otherwise, they were mostly listening to the teenager.

It had been lively, full of smiles and laughter, and Kara was even back to her flirtatious self. She was joyful and mischievous and Cat had had a hard time reining in her stupid crush. 

Then, when Carter passed out about ten minutes after claiming his spot on the couch, Cat and Kara cleaned up the dishes and tidied up the kitchen together, in a companionable silence that didn’t seem to bother either one of them. It lasted until they both sat down around the coffee table, Cat with a book and Kara with a brand new political magazine she had brought in before dinner. 

While Kara had seemed completely enraptured in her read, Cat’s mind had drifted to her usual fantasies about what it would be like to have Kara as a permanent fixture in their family. She was in the middle of thinking that it would be very nice to wake up to Kara every morning when Kara’s voice had echoed in the living room.

“Oh, sorry. Yes everything is perfectly fine, I was just distracted,” Cat answered when she finally registered the question Kara had previously asked. “I had a phone call from Luce today, it was nice.”

“Oh, how is she? Last text I got from her was complaining about the workload but she seemed pretty happy with everything otherwise,” Kara smiled and closed her magazine, glancing at Carter to make sure he was comfortable. 

“She sounded pretty tired yes but she’s incredibly good at her job. She can pull it off, dare I say better than me,” Cat smiled and Kara let out a low whistle.

“High praise, coming from the one the news likes to call the ice queen of all media …” 

Cat winced, not liking the title on Kara’s tongue. She earned that nickname and she was somehow proud of it but it was only the persona she used for work, not the woman she truly was. She didn’t want Kara to think she was that person.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you,” Kara apologized and then she continued. “I was reading an article about you while getting ready for dinner, where they explained your whole career and how you created your own empire … Would you tell me, someday?”

Cat looked up from the book she had lost interest in to meet Kara’s ever blue eyes.

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything. I want to know why you did it and how, what you would have done differently and what you wouldn’t change for the world,” Kara said, a warm smile floating across her lips as she crossed her legs awkwardly to fit them in the not so wide seat of the armchair. 

“I thought you said you read the article,” Cat countered, trying to look a bit stern despite the warmth spreading all over her body at the thought of Kara being interested in her life. It was truly getting out of hands, that silly crush of her.

“You know what I mean. I want to learn it from you,” Kara rolled her eyes and then waited, the smile still in place on her lips.

“Alright, but I’m going to need some alcohol if I’m going back to the roots of my life to tell the story …” 

Kara was up before she could finish her sentence and a few minutes later, Cat had a tumbler full of Scotch in her hand, no ice. She hummed in appreciation and took a sip, taking her time to swirl the beverage in the glass before sighing. Once Kara was back in the armchair, legs crossed underneath her weight, she smiled and started her story. 

“Alright, let’s start at the beginning …”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys,
> 
> I'm still around and working on a few fics at once, since I finished The Supercat Parent Trap.  
> Now, I'm also trying my hand at something new like If tomorrow never comes, a fic where I use the canon universe and the actual character of Supergirl, with Kryptonian stuff, aliens, science ... the whole thing.
> 
> Anyway, here's the latest update for this little country AU, which is my attempt at slow burn and according to my beta, I'm doing a fantastic job at dragging it on ... Oops? 
> 
> As always, I'm on tumblr **lost-your-memory**
> 
>  
> 
> _Reviews are always nice_  
> 


	11. CHAPTER 10

“So, how’s life at the ranch?”

Alex placed a plate full of pancakes in front of her sister before grabbing the maple syrup and a glass of freshly-made orange juice, to complete Kara’s breakfast.

It was 7am and the bar was mostly empty, save for Kara, Winn, and one of the genius’s friends, a young woman who looked a little like Lucy Lane. Winn and his friend were enjoying their breakfast in the background while working, with two macbooks standing over a bunch of papers that looked a lot like blueprints for some kind of technical device. 

“It’s good,” Kara replied around a mouthful of pancake and Alex arched a questioning brow, not sure if her sister was talking about the food or answering her question. She grabbed a dishcloth and started drying the glasses she had finished washing a few minutes earlier. She had been up for a few hours already and she was tidying the bar to be ready for what was considered to be the morning rush, in this little town. 

“Life there, I mean,” Kara clarified after two more generous bites. She had already devoured a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs, drank two large mugs of coffee and she was starting on her fourth pancake, but it didn’t seem to be enough.

“Just good? I mean, you’re practically living with Cat Grant and her teenage son …” Alex pushed while hanging the wine glasses on the appropriate rail. 

“Yeah, so?” Kara looked up and threw her sister a confused look. Alex sighed. Kara could be so oblivious sometimes. 

“For God’s sake, Kara, the woman was two seconds away from jumping on Lena Luthor to strangle her, two nights ago. Don’t you think it means something?” Alex stopped drying the glasses to stare into her sister’s baby blue eyes. “Why do you think she drank so much that night, while you were busy dancing with your former highschool sweetheart?” 

Kara blinked a few times, confusion swirling in her eyes and twisting her features. It made her look so much younger than she really was. Alex waited for the moment of clarity but it didn’t seem to come. 

“What?” Kara eventually blurted, putting down her fork to wipe her mouth with a napkin. A frown was forming in between her eyes.

“Oh Kara. Honestly, you’re a lost cause. Cat Grant’s jealousy was more than obvious, everyone picked up on it! Everyone but you. Hey Winn!” Alex called, moving a step aside to meet their friend’s eyes.

“Yeah?” Winn replied, looking up from his laptop for a few seconds.

“Cat Grant, two nights ago, what did you think of her behaviour?”

“Jealous enough to kill my associate without a second thought” Winn answered without missing a beat, before focusing back on his work. His friend looked slightly perplexed but she simply shrugged and went back to scribbling numbers and formulas on a piece of paper. 

“See?” Alex insisted, focusing back on her sister, who was still frowning and looking at Winn.

“I thought …” Kara mumbled, focusing back on her plate but not touching it. ”I thought it was because she didn’t like it here … She’s very much the city girl, her words not mine, and I thought …” 

“You thought she was murdering Lena Luthor with her eyes just because she was unhappy to be lost in the middle of nowhere? Come on, I know you are often lost in your little world but even you can’t be that blind,” Alex groaned and shook her head, watching the confusion come and go in her sister’s eyes like an endless tide. 

“But she’s …” Kara trailed off and looked down at her pancakes, quiet for a little while. Alex waited, knowing better than to push. Kara could be quicker and more intuitive than most people but sometimes... sometimes she needed more time to process everything.

“She’s Cat Grant,” Kara finally whispered and this time, it was Alex’s turn to frown. She didn’t see why the name would be a problem but then, realization hit her. 

Cat Grant, CEO of a media empire, living atop one of National City’s highest skyscrapers, with the galas, the events, the numerous TV appearances every year. Cat Grant, with the president’s number on speed dial, with the contacts all over the globe, with the fame and glory. Cat Grant, who would never settle for anything less than the whole world and especially not a small country town lost in the middle of nowhere. 

“Yeah, and you’re Kara Danvers, I don’t see what it has to do with anything,” Alex shrugged, deciding to play stupid and to force her sister to put words on the sentiment. 

Kara’s head snapped up and the glare she threw her told Alex it was the wrong move. Kara could be oblivious and slow to process feelings and emotions but she was far from stupid and she knew Alex wasn’t dumb either. 

“Alright, fine. She’s Cat Grant and a whole universe apart from yours, I get that. Still, from what I’ve seen, she seems pretty smitten with you,” Alex said as she poured coffee into her sister’s mug. 

“She’s not,” Kara cut her off and Alex arched a surprised brow. “She’s not, and even if she is, this is stupid. She’s going to leave in a few weeks, to return to her life in National City and I’ll never see her again.”

Alex stared at her sister, unimpressed. Kara looked determined, as if she had made an important decision. 

“You do know I’m dating Lucy Lane, right? Sure, she might have grown up around here but, like her sister, she hated it here and she left. Now, we make it work,” Alex stated, still holding her sister’s gaze hostage. “It’s not ideal but it works and it’s solid. Yes, I miss her sometimes and I wish she would settle for living with me, in this small country town lost in the middle of nowhere but Kara, I love her. She loves National City, probably for the same reasons Cat does too, and it’s a part of her. I don’t want to change her, she doesn’t want to change me and so we compromise. I’m not saying it will work for you guys, I’m not even saying you should try anything but you cannot use that excuse with me.”

Alex crossed her arms over her chest and waited for her sister to say something. Kara’s baby blue eyes had gone distant during the speech, a tell-tale sign that she was processing the words, actually thinking about it. 

“I don’t even like her,” Kara protested after a while, sounding childish and dropping her eyes to her half-finished plate.

“Yeah right. You are such a terrible liar, Kara,” Alex rolled her eyes and went off to offer more coffee to Winn and his friend. 

“She’s terrible, isn’t she?” Winn grinned after thanking Alex for the coffee. The older Danvers nodded and smiled back, before turning to face the young woman sat across from the genius.

“Do you want something else, Imra? I have a fresh batch of those donuts you’re so fond of, the half-raspberry jam, half-chocolate ones …” 

“You are terrible for my diet, you know? Yes, I’d very much like a donut, please,” Imra replied with a sigh, despite the blinding smile she offered the bartender.

“Pfff, diet my ass,” Alex replied and winked, before returning behind the bar to the sound of Imra’s giggles. 

The entrance doors opened and then closed, making everyone look up. Lena Luthor, wearing a pair of ripped denim jeans and a large sweatshirt underneath her winter coat, made her way toward the bar. She looked a little tired, with her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail and her face devoid of any make up. 

“Hi Lee,” Alex greeted her friend with a smile and proceeded to make more coffee.

“Hello, Danvers sisters,” Lena mumbled before taking a seat next to Kara, who beamed at her. 

When Alex placed a mug of black coffee in front of her, Lena threw her a grateful look and absorbed herself in her drinking. 

“Still not functional before your first cup, I see” Kara teased and Lena glared. Her eyes were of a strange color, neither fully blue or totally green but made of a strange mixture of both. It either evoked the surface of a lake during autumn or the Arctic icebergs sparkling under the sunlight. 

“Alright, alright,” Kara threw her hands in the air in mock surrender before leaving her friend alone. 

“Shouldn’t you be on your way? Carter will be up soon, he’s gonna be disappointed if you’re not around …” Alex asked, pointedly looking at Kara.

“Yeah, yeah, in a minute,” Kara groaned, drawing her friend’s attention.

“Trouble in paradise at the Midvale Ranch?” Lena finally asked, her voice husky and raspy, still echoing with slumber.

“No,” Kara replied while Alex nodded vigorously.

“Oh, what happened now? By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you … did Cat made a move on you when you took her back, the other night?” 

“What?! NO!,” Kara spluttered, almost spitting out her coffee. Alex smirked but didn’t say anything. “Why would you even think that!?” 

“Come on Kara, the woman was ready to kill me on the spot, don’t tell me you didn’t notice?” Lena threw her a disbelieving look and Alex chuckled.

“As a matter of fact, she didn’t,” the older Danvers supplied, earning an outraged look from her sister. 

“Oh gosh, Kara. How can you be so smart and so blind at the same time …” Lena sighed, before exchanging an amused look with Alex.

“I’m not … I just, it’s …” Kara tried to explain but she gave up and let out a frustrated huff. “You guys are mean. I’m leaving.”

The younger Danvers finished her orange juice and put a few more bites of pancakes in her mouth before hopping off the stool. Grabbing her hat, she grumpily thrusted it atop her head and then walked away, whistling Rao as she did so.

“Bye darling! See you later,” Lena said with a smirk.

“Bye Kara!” Winn added, followed by Imra. 

Kara only waved them goodbye on her way out.

\---

“They are hopeless, I swear to God,” Lucy sighed on the other side of the line. It made Alex chuckle.

“Yes they are. Kara told me they have this habit of staying up late together. They mostly read in silence but last night, Kara apparently asked Cat to talk about herself, about her life and how she became the woman she is today …” Alex trailed off a little, wondering what to make of this new development. Given how oblivious Kara was, she hadn’t mentioned it during their conversation over breakfast.

“What did Cat do?” Lucy asked, sounding curious.

“She obliged. I mean, Kara told me about their conversation, how Cat was laid back and relaxed, answering every question about Carter, about work, about the previous marriages and the biggest scoops.” 

“Damn, she must really like your sister then. Even to me, she doesn’t talk much about her failed marriages …” Lucy seemed a little impressed, but mostly thoughtful. 

“Kara doesn’t want to act on anything though,” Alex sighed. “We had a bit of an argument this morning, where she said Cat was a city woman through and through, that she doesn’t belong in our world and, as much as I hate to say it, she might have a point.”

“Yes, she does … I mean, Cat would never give up her life here and I can understand why,” Lucy explained, clearly thinking as she spoke. “She’s built something incredible here, it’s already hard enough that she has to step down for a while … She’d never settle for anything else.” 

“Yeah, I figured... By the way, how’s the investigation going? Did they find anything?” Alex inquired and when only silence answered her, she sighed.

“That bad, uh. Do you know the leading detective on the case? I might be able to reach out to some contact, take the temperature …” Alex offered and then held her breath, knowing it was a sensitive topic. 

Another silence floated on the line before Lucy replied. “Actually … It might be helpful. The detective’s name is Susan …”

“Vasquez?”

“Yes. Do you know her?” 

“Know her? I worked with her until I decided to quit …” Alex explained, before realizing something. “Babe, Susan Vasquez isn’t really a NCPD detective …”

“I was about to ask, yes. Didn’t you use to work for the FBI?” Lucy was starting to sound worried and Alex couldn’t blame her.

“I did, yes. Which means the situation is even worse than we thought. I can only see one reason for Susan to be involved. She’s part of a unit that specializes in organised crime and for her to be the lead investigator on Cat’s case … it means the mob’s involved somewhere. Listen, I’ll call Susan later today, see what I can find,” Alex explained, before grabbing a notebook and a pen. “I need you to tell me everything you know about the case so far.”

“Alright,” Lucy said and Alex heard the swallowing sound that betrayed her lover’s fear. “Alex, Cat can’t know you’re meddling in her business. Carter doesn’t even know the real reason for the trip, he thinks it’s because of another scoop that made some people angry but he doesn’t know how bad it is. I’m not even sure Cat knows how deep it goes … No one can know, okay?”

“I promise, no one will,” Alex swore and then settled down to take notes. Lucy took her time but eventually, she started speaking again.

“So, here’s what I know …”

\---

“Kara? Earth to Kara? Are you there?” 

Kara blinked a few times before turning her head to meet Carter’s eyes. 

They were peacefully strolling through the pine trees behind the ranch, Carter perched on Comet and Kara on Krypton. Kara’s horse was a stallion, not very tall but with muscles everywhere and something of a noble posture. Carter had joked that the animal looked a lot like the horse in the animated movie Spirit and Kara had winked, saying it was one of the reason she picked him up when she had to choose another mount after Comet.

“Oh, sorry I was lost in thought,” Kara finally caught up with what Carter had asked and she offered him a sheepish smile.

“You’ve been kinda quiet today,” Carter pointed out as he guided Comet closer to Krypton. 

“It happens someday, yes. Don’t you have days like this, when you don’t talk as much?” Kara replied, her smile turning into a little smirk.

“I … well, yeah I do,” Carter replied, a little surprised. The cowboy hat he was wearing protected his eyes from the bright sunlight and it cut his face in two, one part shadow and one part light. It gave him a funny yet mysterious look.

“I bet your mom has them too, those days. Though she doesn’t strike me as a talker,” Kara added and Carter nodded, not denying it.

“I mean yeah, she’s not really a talker but she has too, for her job. She told me once that she’s the voice of all those people who can’t talk,” he explained and Kara listened with rapt attention.

“How so?” She asked, sounding curious as to what he meant by that.

“Well, people are sometimes too scared to speak up and they need someone to speak for them. Sometimes, she also speaks for those who are too oppressed to talk, those who don’t have the freedom of speech you and I have,” Carter detailed and he sounded very proud. 

“That’s very brave of her,” Kara smiled and Carter all but beamed at her. He might be into his full teenager years but he was still his mother’s biggest fan.

“She told me once that it took her a long time to realize how important it was, that part of the job. For a long time, she did it for the adrenaline, the thrill of a story, the fame of being the first one to expose a scoop … Now though, she does it because other people can’t, and some truths need to be told, to be exposed, to be known,” Carter kept going and Kara let him speak. From time to time, she asked questions but for the most part, she was content to listen to the boy gush about his mother. 

“She’s lonely, though,” Carter said after talking about a particularly rough scoop his mother exposed back when he was about ten years old. 

“Lonely?” Kara picked up, slightly confused by the sudden change of topic.

“Yeah, she’s alone up there, in her pretty office. Sure, she’s surrounded by her employees and her contacts but she has no one to share her days with. I mean, I’m just a kid so of course, she doesn’t tell me everything. I think …” He trailed off a little, pausing for a few seconds before continuing. 

“I think sometimes, she misses having someone to talk to, about nothing and everything you know? Someone who can help her make the hard choices, someone to pick her up when she’s down ... ” Carter added and though Kara couldn’t see it, he was studying her from under the edge of his hat. 

He wasn’t stupid, he had noticed how his mother looked at the pretty cowgirl and he still remembered the tenderness with which Kara had carried his mother upstairs after the Lena Luthor fiasco, four days ago. He was more than a little frustrated to see that nothing had evolved since that night. Which is why he had decided to take the matter into his own hands and give them the push they obviously needed.

“Well, she had your father for that, for a little while? I think she had people, over the years, to take care of her in that way,” Kara cautiously answered and Carter noticed she didn’t seem too comfortable.

“Well, yeah, but my parents divorced when I was six or something. It’s been a while,” Carter countered, watching closely as Kara tilted her head to the side, looking thoughtful. 

“I think … I think your mother would prefer to be alone than in bad company, if that makes sense. She’s someone important, she has a job that keeps her very busy and you’re the most precious person to her, which means …” Kara was taking her time and Carter let her think as she spoke. “It means that whoever comes next to take that place in both your lives, would have to be someone strong, someone who can carry her, support her and challenge her as well. It can’t be someone who’ll only be there when it’s convenient because in a relationship, whatever kind of relationship, showing up is the most important part.”

Carter had to bit the inside of his cheeks not to smile too brightly. If he had any doubt about Kara before, he didn’t anymore. 

“You mother probably won’t settle for anything less and since finding the right person isn’t easy, she might find that she’s better off alone, for now. It might change someday,” Kara finished with a small smile and Carter frowned. 

Well, that won’t do, he thought as he realized Kara didn’t even envision herself as a potential ‘right person’. 

“Did you find them? The right person, I mean,” Carter asked, deciding to take the problem under another angle. 

“Oh uh …” Kara stuttered a little, threw off balance by the new change of subject. “I … I thought I did, but life happened.”

“You mean Lena Luthor?” 

“Yes,” Kara replied without even trying to deny it. Carter smirked a little, storing the information for later so he could casually mention it to his mother. 

“You guys aren’t together anymore? I mean, I thought … The way you guys danced at the country night …” Carter insisted, playing it dumb just to be sure.

“We dated for a long, long time but we grew up and life happened, as I said. She went off to be the CEO of her family company and I stayed back in the countryside, to take care of the Midvale Ranch,” Kara explained, her voice sounding a little strained. 

“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable,” Carter backtracked a little, not wanting Kara to close off completely.

“That’s alright. I realize we can still look like a couple, sometimes. I started dating her when I was sixteen and I was twenty-two when we broke up, some habits are hard to get rid of,” Kara smiled and Carter nodded, more for himself than for Kara’s benefit. 

“I wanted to ask you … I mean, you don’t have to answer but … Is it hard, being … uh … not straight, around here?” Carter struggled a little, watching Kara to make sure he didn’t offend her with his choice of words.

Kara laughed and winked at him, instantly assuaging his doubts.

“I’m bisexual, but you can say queer if it’s easier for you,” Kara offered and he nodded, before waiting for the answer to his question. “It’s … not easy, no. It’s the countryside, as I said, and people here are not as open-minded as they can be in bigger cities. The little town where Alex has her bar is rather tolerant though, especially since Winn came out.”

Carter blinked and opened his mouth but to say nothing. He must have looked surprised because Kara chuckled and kept talking.

“Oh yes, Winn is gay. The success of his start-up allows him to invest a lot of money in the local economy but even without that, he has always been a name around here. When he came out, people already knew, for the most part. It took some time for a bunch of hardass republicans to come round, but now we have LGBTQ+ associations, we make sure all our events are friendly for everyone and our local sheriff added some training courses for her employees, to make sure they know how to treat people with respect.”

Carter let out an impressed gasp and Kara winked once more.

“Now, I didn’t always live here and the place where I grew up was very different. Lena and I had to hide our feelings for each other. I mean, we couldn’t even tell her parents because they were very much against that kind of lifestyle, as they put it,” Kara gritted the last part through her teeth and Carter grimaced. “We got out of it eventually. I moved out here and she went to Metropolis, then National City. We worked, for a little while, until we didn’t and that’s when we broke up. She’s still one of my very best friends, though.”

“It must have been hard …” Carter wondered out loud.

“The breakup or living in the closet part?” Kara asked, slightly confused.

“Both, I guess,” Carter replied, jumping on the occasion to know more about Kara and Lena’s relationship. 

“Actually, not that much, for the breakup part. We saw it coming and we both agreed it was the best thing to do, especially if we wanted to salvage something out of the relationship. We lost touch for a few months, we both needed the distance but eventually, we resumed our friendship and now we’re almost closer than when we were dating. The living in the closet part however … that’s a whole other story,” Kara explained and it sounded final. Carter took the hint.

“Thank you, for answering my nosy questions Kara. I’m sorry if I was too curious,” Carter said and he meant it. Kara shook her head and waved his apology away with a flourish of her wrist. 

“Oh look, you’re stealing mom’s moves!” Carter pointed out with a smirk, before openly laughing at Kara’s dumbfounded expression.

After that, they rode back to the ranch in a companionable silence, with Carter mentally planning his next move to push his mother into Kara’s arms and Kara thinking back on her past with Lena Luthor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> It's been a little while I know but I'm working on it, I promise. Now, this chapter was short and truly lacking on some Cat Grant content, I am well aware but I'll make it up to you in the upcoming chapters. This was mostly plot, and some insights from everyone else around our two hopeless ladies. They're such a mess, honestly. Who write that crap, right?
> 
> Anyway, as always, reviews are nice and you can find me on tumblr ( **lost-your-memory** ) if you wanna talk,
> 
> See ya around!


	12. CHAPTER 12

It rang only twice, before a curt and to the point, “Susan Vasquez,” echoed through the line. It made Alex smile at how familiar it sounded and she even felt a pang of nostalgia.

“Hi Sus, it’s Alex. Danvers,” she introduced herself and for a few seconds, she thought the other woman had hung up on her. Susan didn’t take Alex’s resignation too well; she’d been wounded and she’d told Alex that it was, in some ways, a true betrayal. They’d talked a few times over the years, but it was still strained and they hadn’t managed to get their friendship back. 

“Whoa. It’s been a while, D. I’m going to take a wild guess and assume you’re calling me about the Cat Grant case?” Susan’s voice, slow and calm, finally came through again. Alex wondered if the agent was alone at what used to be their desk, or if she had finally agreed to another partner. “Or is it because you need me to go scare that chick one more time?”

Alex laughed and shook her head, despite the fact Susan couldn’t see her. “No, Maggie’s learned her lesson now. She’s back in National City and for good, this time, but thank you for the offer.”

“I wasn’t offering, merely inquiring of the reason of your call,” Susan corrected, matter-of-factly. Alex was used to the way her former partner could be blunt and painfully sarcastic sometimes, so she didn’t dwell on it.

“Well, I am actually calling regarding Cat Grant’s case, yes. I’ve been talking to Lucy Lane and when she told me you were the one in charge of the case, I figured I’d give you a call … How bad is it?” Alex asked, going straight for the heart of the matter, knowing Susan wouldn’t have it any other way.

“What makes you think I’d talk to you, of all people, about an ongoing case?” Susan retorted after almost a whole minute of silence. She sounded a little put out.

“Because, you know where she’s hiding and you know I can actually help protect her, if needs be. I can’t do that if I don’t know what I’m dealing with,” Alex replied without missing a beat, because it was nothing but the truth.

A grumpy sigh echoed on the line, telling Alex she’d won that round.

“Fair enough, I guess. Don’t think it pleases me to share intel with you though; you gave up on the FBI and on me a long time ago and I’m only doing this for Miss Grant’s safety, and for her son,” Susan started. Alex didn’t engage, knowing it was a bait for a debate that had never ended well before. Another sigh and then Susan spoke again.

“Alright, here’s what I know. Lois Lane had been following a few leads for a story about an elaborate scheme of money laundering, one that involved some political higher-ups. I don’t know exactly why or how, but the older Lane sister gave up that story to Miss Grant and of course, it all went downhill from that moment onward …” Susan explained and Alex heard the ruffling sound of paper being shuffled around.

“Now, you know how much I admire and respect Cat Grant and her journalistic work, despite some of her articles about the FBI and the government in general being totally scorching and acerbic. I mean, the woman is bold and she stops at nothing to uncover and expose the truth, which meant it was only a matter of time before she got her hands in something bigger than herself, something dangerous enough to get her killed. Frankly, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner, she’s written some nasty stuff about big political figures …” Susan trailed off, typing at the keyboard of her laptop and barking a few orders to someone in the background before resuming her story. “The thing is, she’s received death threats before; a lot of her mail is from haters and angry people she’s attacked in one or another of her articles … but the format of those specifics letters was alarming enough for her security team to call … Snapper Carr was the one to give them the order to call us, specifically.”

“Snapper Carr? I’m not following … He’s a pain in the ass, from what I know, head of the reporters and a grumpy little man … Why would he call us, how does he even know about in the first place?” Alex asked, frowning at the information that didn’t make any sense to her.

“You can’t say ‘us’, Danvers. You’re not a part of the team anymore,” Susan pointed out, before explaining. “He is indeed a pain in the ass but he’s worked on some Mob stories before, in Boston and Gotham mostly, and he recognized the pattern. The crimson red envelope, the old Gaelic symbol plastered at the back where the sender’s name would usually be, the classic white piece of paper with threats traced with the tip of a feather pen full of blood-colored ink. No signature, of course, but it was enough for Carr to get us involved. We analysed the letter and for the first time since we’ve been dealing with those cases … the ink is actually blood,” Susan ended, her voice heavy with anger. 

Alex stayed silent, processing the informations and waiting for Susan to keep going. She could sense that the agent was expecting questions but Alex knew better. Eventually, Susan started speaking again.

“Now, we are still working on trying to find whose blood it is but my guess is that it’s from one random person the Mob recently killed; they wouldn’t take the risk of having the blood trace back to them … so yes, it’s bad. You’ve recognized them, haven’t you?”

“Yes. She’s the target of the Falcone Family, which is even worse than what I initially thought …” Alex breathed and she closed her notebook, on which she couldn’t jot down such sensitive information. Thinking back on the start of Susan’s story, Alex started to talk again. “You said she was following a story about money laundering, involving some important people … I’m guessing you’ve already claimed back her notes and files on said case. Do you have any idea of who those people are, the ones she threatened to expose and who probably bought the Falcone’s protection?”

“I have some names, yes. Nothing solid, since Cat didn’t get as far as finding sources, but I’ve been exploring some of her most promising leads, while quietly keeping in touch with Lois Lane to see if she didn’t have more intel …” Susan replied, not giving anything away. Alex figured she wasn’t going to get much more information from her former partner and friend. 

“Alright Susan, thank you for this. I know you didn’t want to talk to me and I appreciate that you did. I now know enough to know where to look for the signs, and what to expect should they find out where she’s hiding. Which I really hope they don’t …”

“I hope so as well, because the word on the street is that Carmine himself is after her …”

That made Alex swallow nervously. Carmine Falcone was the head of the Gotham Mob and his empire had thrived all over the continent, earning him a spot on the top 10 list of the most dangerous men in America.

“Does she know?” Alex whispered, thinking back of Cat’s general attitude.

“Not that much, no. She knows she tapped into the network of someone dangerous, but she has no idea of who, nor of how bad it is and I’d like it to stay that way, for now at least.” Susan’s tone held a definite warning, one Alex understood.

“I won’t tell her,” she swore and Susan humed noncommittally.

“I gotta go, Danvers. Since you’re on site and probably her best shot at staying alive if they find her, I’ll do my best to keep you posted on any new developments,” Susan added and even though it sounded a little curt and reluctant, Alex knew the agent would keep her word on it.

“Thank you Susan, I really do appreciate this. Bye,” Alex said before hanging up, a dreadful feeling settling down in her stomach when she thought of the danger Cat didn’t know she was facing.

\---

“Giving up already?”

“Never.”

“Come on, you know you already lost!”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“Should we get some popcorn?” Carter whispered, his blue eyes traveling back and forth between his mother and Kara as the last round of poker was unfolding. 

Alex shook her head no and, with an air of conspiracy, leant towards the young boy to explain “I’m too afraid to miss the action to move.”

Carter considered the very wise reply and eventually decided against the popcorn. Instead, he settled more comfortably against the back of the couch and distractedly sipped at his coke. Alex was nursing a beer next to him, her eyes intent on the show happening in front of them.

After dinner, Kara had offered a rematch at poker, which had confused Carter at first because to him, she’d lost against his mother the first time they played. Cat, however, had jumped on the opportunity and she asked for a fair game this time, which had led to Alex explaining to him how Kara threw a terrific hand in order to let Cat win the first time. 

Four games later, Cat and Kara were even. The game they were playing was the last one, and so Alex and Carter were almost holding their breath and studying the opponent’s features with rapt attention.

“How about a bet, to spice things up?” 

Cat narrowed her eyes at Kara’s unreadable features. She was hell-bent on winning and she had grown wary of the cowgirl’s words during the games. The honey locks, the shining blue eyes, the amused smile or the thoughtful pout, it was all insanely distracting and Cat simply couldn’t let her get away with it. 

“I’m listening,” she offered, without betraying any of her feelings.

“If you win, you can choose whatever you want to do with me,” Kara started and it took Cat all of her willpower and self-control not to gape at the woman’s words, her mind already flashing with a thousand images of what she would like to do to Kara. “If I win, however, you allow me to take you out on a ride across the ranch, on Krypton.” 

All of the images suddenly disappeared and Cat frowned.

“Now this is interesting,” Alex chuckled.

Carter distractedly glanced at her before focusing on the two women with cards in their hands. He was torn between wanting his mother to win, to know what she would choose, and rooting for Kara to win, so she could take his mother on a ride and maybe work on this obvious attraction they were clearly feeling for each other. 

“You know I don’t like horses …” Cat protested, refusing to touch her remaining chips and to raise the stakes until they sorted out the bet first.

“I know, but you’d be riding with me and I would show you all the places you can’t see unless you’re on a horse … I thought maybe you could bring your camera, take pictures …” Kara insisted, her bright blue eyes shining with a pleading gleam and a smile, shy but still blinding, making its way across her lips.

She was infuriatingly irresistible and Cat bit back a groan, knowing she was already done for. 

“Fine, but if I win, I’ll get to choose what you will have to do,” Cat reminded her, not liking the sparkle of triumph she saw in the woman’s irises. 

“Alright then,” Alex intervened, gesturing towards Cat’s stack of chips to invite her to call.

“All in,” Cat decided, pushing all of her chips towards the middle of the coffee table.

“All in,” Kara followed, doing the same.

“Ladies and gentleman, let’s have at it!” Alex announced, dealing the last card on the river.

Cat knew, the moment the queen of hearts appeared, that she was screwed. She had to lower her cards first and so she did, revealing a single pair of jacks that didn’t fit anywhere in the river. 

Kara studied the combo for a whole minute before lowering her own game. 

“Straight flush of hearts. Looks like you and I have a date!” Kara squealed and Cat’s heart missed a beat.

“Oh really, a date,” Alex repeated, arching a brow at her sister, who seemed to suddenly realize what she had just said.

“I mean, not like a date-date … I mean ... I just won the bet and … we’ll go on a ride. Together, but not like …”

“Kara, breathe,” Carter cut her off, showing her how to do it. He was surprised and a little alarmed at how hard she tried to fight off the word date. After a few seconds, he added, “Alex is just teasing. I would have thought you’d be used to it, by now …”

Cat had stayed silent thought the whole exchange, her heartbeat following some kind of roller-coaster rhythm as Kara tried to defend herself against her sister’s joke. She knew she had no chance with the young cowgirl and that she was stupid for having a crush on her in the first place, but it didn’t make it easier to listen to Kara reject any kind of innuendo going in that way. 

“Yeah, relax sis’, I was just teasing. You’re awfully sensitive, by the way …” Alex added with a frown. 

“Urgh. You’re just mean,” Kara deflected before gathering the cards, tidying the coffee table and taking the opportunity to ignore the unimpressed glare Alex was throwing her way. After a moment, the older Danvers decided to leave it alone for now. Instead, she turned around to face Cat.

“Anyway, I was thinking that, if it’s alright with you Cat, I could take Carter with me tonight and keep him tomorrow? It’s my day off and Winn still needs all the help he can get to fix the new property he bought …” 

Carter looked up from his phone and threw a questioning look at the older Danvers sister, who glared down at him in a not so subtle way.

“Oh right! Mom, can I go help Winn with Alex tomorrow? Beside, you lost at poker, which means you owe Kara a ride …” Carter added, seeing Alex nod at the corner of his eyes. He also noticed the slight blush that colored the cowgirl’s cheeks but he chose not to say anything, instead waiting for his mother to make her decision.

“If you promise to be careful and to listen to the adults, then … Yes, I suppose you can go,” Cat eventually answered, looking indecisive but knowing her son would rather change his routine and be with the genius than spend another day in the ranch with her. Still, she didn’t like him being out of her sight and even though she trusted Alex Danvers, she was uncomfortable with the whole idea.

“Don’t worry mom, I promise it’s just for one day. It’ll be a nice change but you know me, I’m not much of a handyman …” Carter reassured her with a smile. She wondered if he could read minds sometimes, because he always knew what to say. Whether it was to make her angry or to calm her, it was entirely up to his mood but he always made her react, one way or another.

“Alright darling, then you better go pack a light bag,” Cat nodded, smiling at how excited her son looked as he jumped on his feet and ran towards the stairs.

“I promise, I will bring him back to you in one piece,” Alex added and she met Cat’s eyes, so that the CEO could see she meant it. Cat smiled but didn’t reply and Alex stood up to bring Carter’s empty glass and her own bottle of beer back to the kitchen.

Kara had moved towards the fireplace to add more wooden logs to the crackling fire, making sure it wouldn’t die too soon. She looked lost in her own thoughts, Cat noticed, and the flames dancing in front of her gave her features a strange halo of orange shades, battling against evanescent shadows. Even her hair looked different, at once brighter and darker, like honey and amber. 

Cat didn’t know how to break the silence. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to. 

“I lied,” Kara suddenly whispered and Cat blinked, before frowning. She had no idea what the cowgirl was talking about. “I do mean it as a … date, I just … I forgot we had an audience. A nosy one.” 

Cat felt her heart miss a beat before it exploded in her chest, beating a loud and frantic rhythm. Despite her best attempts at remaining stoic, she smiled. She shouldn’t be so enthusiastic and impatient; she knew she should rein in on her emotions and temper her excitement but the simple fact Kara admitted she would, in fact, like the ride to be a date was making her incredibly happy. Internally, she sighed at the idea that she needed to get used to being reduced to a schoolgirl with a crush. 

“Oh. I thought …” Cat started but Carter’s loud footsteps echoed above their heads, making her look up. The teenager exited his room with a loaded backpack in his hand and a coat in the other and closed his door with a loud bang, before running back downstairs.

“Whoa, easy tiger!” Alex scowled before reaching a hand to mess with his hair as he stopped in front of her.

“Hey!” Carter protested, taking a step back and trying to re-arrange his hair. It made Alex laugh and Kara did too.

“Alright, you ready buddy? Say goodbye to your mom and Kara …” Alex ordered, gathering her own coat and hat. Turning back to face Cat, she added “I’ll bring him back here tomorrow for dinner, is that alright?”

“Perfect,” Cat agreed, landing a kiss on her son’s cheek before repeating her instructions for him to be careful and to behave.

“Mom! Come on!” Carter protested, upon hearing the litany of orders and advice Cat was bestowing on him. He knew them all by heart now, since it was always the same deal every time he was invited to spend the night at a friend’s house or whenever she was going away on a business trip.

“Yes Cat, let the boy breathe!” Alex added, before winking at Cat and finishing her sentence “Besides, I’m going to list the exact same set of rules during the journey back to the saloon …”

“Oh man,” Carter groaned but he still let Alex mess with his hair for a few seconds.

“Alright, if you’re ready then let’s go,” the older Danvers said, ushering the young boy toward the entrance and waving the others goodbye on the way. “Bye Cat, bye Sis’, see you tomorrow!”

“Bye mom, bye Kara!”

Before either one of them could answer, the boy was out the door, which closed with a sharp bang behind Alex. 

“They were awfully eager to get out of the house, those two …” Kara mused, her baby blue eyes still fixed on the door. The way she was standing made the flames reflect even more brightly across the left side of her face, while the rest of it was exposed to the growing darkness of the room. Part light and part shadow, Cat noticed as she watched, enthralled, the way the fire warmed up Kara’s naturally tan complexion, drawing moving lines and circles along the cheekbone, down the defined slope of her jaw and against the side of the crinkle above her eyes. 

“Would you like another glass of wine?” Kara’s voice, and the fact the warm baby blue eyes were now intensely focused on her, brought back Cat to reality. 

“Oh, you don’t have to, I am perfectly capable of getting myself another drink,” Cat replied, a little too abruptly. She internally winced when she saw the sparkle of hurt shine in the cowgirl’s irises. 

“I mean … I didn’t ... I’m sorry, Kara. I don’t do well whenever Carter leaves …” Cat tried to explain. It was the truth but she also knew it wasn’t an excuse for her tone. She let out a frustrated sigh before offering a smile to Kara. “I’d love another glass, please?”

The blinding smile she got in return made her heart miss another beat and, not trusting herself to stare any longer, she dropped her gaze to the magazine she’d distractedly picked earlier. Kara came to retrieve her own glass and when she reached for Cat’s, warm fingers softly brushed against the back of her hand. It was barely a touch, the gentle movement of air in between two hands but it was enough to awaken a thousand burning fires in her lower abdomen. It lasted half a second but as Kara walked away to the kitchen to make another set of drinks, Cat had to mobilize all of her self-control to try to calm down.

“What were you about to say, before Carter barged out of his room?” Kara’s voice, coming from the kitchen, sounded muffled but Cat heard the question anyway. She frowned, trying to figure out what was happening. Kara’s quiet whisper about wanting their ride to be a date came back to her mind and she smiled, suddenly feeling warm and at peace again.

“I thought you were with Lena Luthor, so I was surprised by what you said about the ride I owe you,” Cat explained, deciding to be honest with Kara. It was only fair, she thought, since the girl had somehow expressed her interest for her.

Kara came back and handed a glass of wine to Cat. The CEO gratefully accepted it with a thank you and then watched as Kara sat on the couch facing her, on the other side of the coffee table. It was a safe distance but Cat felt it like an ocean, especially since her hand was still tingling with the phantom touch of Kara’s fingers.

“I used to date Lena, I’m sure you’ve heard of it by now,” Kara started and Cat nodded. Carter had told her all about his conversation with Kara when they went to the back of the ranch on horses, to fix a section of the fence. He did insist on the fact Kara and Lena weren’t an item anymore but the memories of the country ball were still very fresh in Cat’s mind, how Lena had been beautiful in Kara’s arms and how the cowgirl herself at seemed content and happy, like she belonged. She didn’t doubt her son’s words but she still couldn’t bring herself to believe them, hence the whole exchange she was having with Kara herself.

“She was my highschool sweetheart, we were together for … a long time and I was twenty-two when we broke up, I guess it still shows how much we used to be close whenever we’re in the same room. Anyway, she’s dating someone else and I’m not interested anymore,” Kara finished with a tight smile before sipping at her coke. Her baby blue eyes were hooded by something that looked a lot like melancholia, from where Cat was seated. 

“How come? I mean, how comes that you are not interested anymore? I saw you dance with her at the ball and you looked … like you were exactly where you wanted to be,” Cat asked, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice and somehow failing. Kara arched an amused brow and it made Cat feel vulnerable. She truly hated how easily the younger Danvers could read her.

“Oh, I still love her very much, but not like that. Not anymore, at least,” Kara explained, before pausing. She searched for her words before trying to elaborate. “She’s … she’s familiar, you know. She’s like a memory that will never, ever go away, one that I know by heart and nothing can ever go wrong with her, which explains how at peace and comfortable I am when she’s around. She knows me probably better than I know myself, and I can say the same thing about her. We have some kind of unique and strange bond, that can be explained by how in love we used to be with each other but also by how hard it was to be together at the time … We went through some awful stuff and it made us grow up really fast, but we did it together. I don’t think the relationship we have will go away, no matter what.” 

Cat was listening with rapt attention, despite how distracting Kara’s shining eyes were as she spoke, or how tempting her soft smile was whenever she remembered something Cat wasn’t privy to. She understood now, why both Lena and Kara looked so close to each other. 

“Would you tell me, why you looked so miserable that night? I know it wasn’t only about our fight,” Kara asked and this time, her eyes were solely focused on Cat, intent and unescapable. It was drowning in the middle of the ocean, with the bluest sky above and nothing to hold. Everything was blue and Cat forgot to breathe for a minute.

“I …” She eventually started, remembering the question and having no idea how she could answer it without betraying how jealous she had been, how far gone she was for the girl with honey hair, azur eyes and a smile like sunlight. “I was indeed upset about our fight, but you’re right. It wasn’t the only reason I was feeling unhappy.” 

Kara nodded slightly, as if to invite her to elaborate but Cat felt nervous and she started to internally panic. Kara was young and bright, quite happy with her life in the middle of nowhere, in a small country town surrounded but nothing but wilderness. Cat was older, divorced, she had a son and she was practically on the run, hiding in this place that threatened to drive her mad, missing the ever-buzzing city and the rush of urban life. Throwing herself in Kara’s arms would only lead to heartbreak and she knew it. So she lied.

“I just miss National City, my media company, I miss being the boss and watching the city from my balcony, I miss the never ending rush of the news … I miss my life and being in a fight with you only made it worse, especially given the topic. I will never, never interview Winn, I promise but for a few seconds there, I felt like I was back, like I had found my true self again,” Cat said, avoiding Kara’s eyes to focus on the wine in her glass. It was easier that way. “Seeing Lena Luthor, herself the CEO of a huge company, was another nail in the coffin of my drunken state … One thing leading to another, I drank even more and by the end of it, I was completely wasted.” 

Only silence answered her but she didn’t dare look up, too afraid to be met with the inevitable disappointment that would show in Kara’s eyes. Splintered wood cracked in the fireplace but it was the only sound breaking the heavy silence that had fallen on the living room. 

Eventually, Kara’s voice rose again.

“Alright then. I should be going, it’s late.”

Cat discreetly glanced at her watch and noticed it wasn’t even 11pm but she knew how to spot an excuse when she heard one. Clearly, Kara was taking her leave because she wasn’t pleased with the answer Cat had just given her. 

“Oh, sure,” Cat nodded distractingly, her heart breaking a little at how she had ruined her chances, especially after Kara had admitted the ride would be a date.

“I’ll come pick you up at 10:00 tomorrow morning. For the ride, wear something warm and comfortable but I am going to take you up to a lake in the mountains, were the sun will hit us hard and it’s going to be very hot, so you should take a bathing suit with you or at the very least, a summer outfit to be able to enjoy it,” Kara explained as she stood up, moving around to go place her empty glass in the sink and coming back to the living room to retrieve her coat, her hat and her dog. “You should definitely take your camera with you, the landscape up there is breathtaking.”

“Didn’t you say it would be a ride across the ranch?” Cat inquired, purposely choosing not to focus on the bath suit information.

“I changed my mind, we’ll have a picnic at the lake instead,” Kara replied with a shrug. She waved Cat goodbye and started to walk away.

“Good night Kara, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Cat sighed, knowing the girl had every reason to be upset.

“Sweet dreams, Miss Grant,” Kara’s reply came right before the door closed behind her and the dog, leaving Cat alone with her confusing and heartbroken thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi folks !
> 
> I'm back with this new chapter! I was in between jobs and I didn't have a laptop for a while, after my big summer break, I apologize for the delay in this update. I hope you liked it, I'm still trying to keep it a SLOW burn but with every passing chapter, the temptation is strong to make SOMETHING happen. Hopefully, next chapter or so, we should have some action ...
> 
> I do have a plot line for this AU, so don't worry we'll get to it.
> 
> As always, I'm over Tumblr or Twitter if you wanna chat ;)
> 
> _Reviews are always nice_


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